Chapter 3251

A violent burst of Qi exploded outward; however, it directly penetrated the black shadow’s body and hit empty space, leaving a black tear behind. Its position had been revealed, so it no longer tried to remain hidden. Putting more force into its dagger, it thrust forward, trying to finish Yang Kai off.

*Chi…* 

Yang Kai didn’t flinch, but even so, he was pushed so hard that he was steadily forced backwards. The ground under his feet looked like it had been ploughed as two long gouges appeared in it. He stretched out his arm and grabbed at the dagger that was stuck in his abdomen, ignoring the fresh blood trickling down his hand from his fingers that had been sliced open by the blade, and stared at the figure in front of him, trying to get a clear look at their face.

That moment just now could have been described as a fine line between life and death. It both shocked and enraged him. What shocked him was that the other party’s actions had gone completely undetected until it was almost too late. He didn’t notice anything whatsoever, so clearly this person’s assassination techniques were beyond superb. Who could it be with such skills? What enraged him was that he had been ambushed so unexpectedly.

The only reason he managed to stop the danger was not that he had noticed a murderous intent but that he instinctively sensed something was wrong and shifted his body so that the attack avoided his vital points. If not for that, he would be in a terrible state right now.

*Hong hong hong…* 

Waves of violent force were transmitted through the dagger and exploded inside his body. The explosions caused his waist area to become a bloody mess and he had no choice but to use his Emperor Qi to resist while golden blood spurted out of his mouth. 

Yang Kai roared, “Who are you!?”

He had been led to this place by Luo Chen, and before he came, he even contacted Gao Xue Ting to confirm; therefore, he had not given it much thought at the time. Who could have expected that he would be ambushed here? This was obviously a premeditated assassination, but Yang Kai could not figure out who he had offended so greatly that they would try to kill him in this manner. More importantly, what roles did Luo Chen and Gao Xue Ting played in this entire process.

Yang Kai did not want to think too much into it, but he had no choice but to do so. Nevertheless, his top priority at the moment was to resolve the immediate crisis he was facing and figure out the identity of the assassin. Luo Chen and Gao Xue Ting’s involvement could come later.

The black shadow did not answer Yang Kai’s question and simply continued to push forward.

Yang Kai scanned the black shadow with his Divine Sense but couldn’t uncover its true identity. He couldn’t even detect any life aura coming from this black shadow, as if it was nothing but an illusionary phantom without physical form. Furious, Yang Kai punched out again. The black shadow ignored the attack and allowed it to land on his body, but unsurprisingly, it was completely ineffective.

A numb and tingling sensation spread out from Yang Kai’s waist area, shocking him into the realization that the dagger was poisoned! He did not know what kind of poison it was that could take effect so quickly, but in any case, he had no time to investigate. Space Principles fluctuated as he spread out his palm to grab at the black shadow.

The black shadow grunted as its seemingly ethereal body suddenly became much more corporeal. Yang Kai was overjoyed at the sight. His brute force attacks had not been effective against his opponent and even his Emperor Qi had not been able to injure this strange assassin. He would have faced a disastrous ending if even his Space Principles were incapable of working against this enemy, but fortunately, they had not let him down. The black shadow clearly could not withstand the pressure of space being condensed around him and showed signs of revealing his true form.

Yang Kai shouted as he sent a Moon Blade flying, slicing through the black shadow’s body.

Fresh warm blood splattered out as the black shadow was cut into two but fused together again in an impossible manner. Nevertheless, a pained expression appeared on its blurry face. The Moon Blade might not have delivered a killing blow, but injury was unavoidable.

Before Yang Kai could do anything else though, the black shadow suddenly released its dagger and retreated. How could Yang Kai allow the black shadow to come and go as it pleased though? Reaching out, he aimed his hand at the black shadow and clenched his fist tightly. The space surrounding the black shadow instantly solidified.

This move was apparently beyond the black shadow’s expectations as it could be said that it was an indefensible attack. Only then did it realize how dangerous it was to confront the person in front of him openly. It was no wonder its higher-ups told it to kill this person silently; otherwise, this person might really ruin their grand plans.

“Exile!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted and the space that captured the black shadow instantly began to collapse. A black hole suddenly appeared behind the black shadow, and a terrifying suction force came out from it, as though it was trying to swallow the black shadow up.

[This black shadow is too dangerous, even my Moon Blade can’t cut him down!] Yang Kai was in no mood to figure out who the black shadow was anymore. Kill first, talk later.

Exile was one of Yang Kai’s Space Techniques that could literally exile a target into the Void. No matter how resilient or impervious the black shadow was to damage, it would still have no way to escape once it was lost in the Void. There, it would eventually die of old age in the Void Crack.

Feeling the chaotic nothingness coming from the black hole, the black shadow became a little panicked. When a sharp whistle sounded from its mouth, a dozen figures suddenly appeared from all directions, each of them holding their artifact in hand as they indiscriminately blasted Yang Kai with attacks.

Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically as he had not expected this person to have so many helpers. Moreover, all these ambushers were Emperor Realm Masters. Lifting his gaze, Yang Kai suddenly noticed that the figures were extremely familiar. They were faces that he had recently interacted with, and some were even people he had met and chatted with earlier today. These people were the Emperor Realm Masters of the major Sects and clans in the Southern Territory that had led their respective disciples to participate in the Martial Gathering. It was just that the aura radiating from these people at this moment was one that made Yang Kai’s heart pound wildly. He looked up at them and saw that every one of them was wrapped in a faint black Qi.

“Demon Qi!” The scene before him could not be more familiar. How could Yang Kai not realize that these Emperor Realm Masters had been taken over by the Demon Qi? Their hearts and minds had been demonified, but how could there be Demon Qi here?

In that brief moment of hesitation, Yang Kai’s body was shrouded by violent waves of attacks. At the last instant, a small bell appeared out of nowhere and rapidly spun as it grew taller than a person. Covering Yang Kai, vivid scenes of mountains, rivers, birds, fish, and beasts seemed to come alive. It was the Mountains and Rivers Bell!

The dozen Emperor Realm Masters were attacking with everything they had, so even if Yang Kai had thick and touch skin, he didn’t dare to take their attacks head-on. Besides, not only was he poisoned, he also had a dagger still stuck in his waist.

*Hong hong hong…* 

A series of explosions rang out as lights flashed out from the Mountains and Rivers Bell while it defended against all the attacks. Afterwards, it suddenly became smaller and smaller until it fit into Yang Kai’s palm. Following that, he turned his head to look in the direction of the black shadow.

The black shadow that was about to be swallowed by his Exile Secret Technique had broken free of its shackles while Yang Kai was distracted. In the darkness, that pair of indifferent eyes stared at Yang Kai deeply for a moment before its body exploded and transformed into countless wisps of black smoke which scattered in all directions and vanished in the blink of an eye. Seeing that its ambush had failed, it decisively retreated.

Yang Kai gritted his teeth as the grief and anger in his heart compounded each other. He had never suffered such a huge loss before since he began his journey on the Martial Dao. He nearly died at that person’s hand, but he didn’t even manage to get a glimpse of their true appearance. He didn’t even know anything about the origin of the other party. It was a great disgrace.

Yang Kai had no time to investigate anything though as there were still a dozen Emperor Realm Masters wielding their Emperor Artifacts once again to attack him. It was clear that they were buying time for the black shadow to escape.

Yang Kai pulled out the dagger from his waist and used his Emperor Qi to staunch his wound before his figure flickered and appeared in front of an elderly man with a white beard. Yang Kai’s fist flew out, punching the elderly man directly in the face.

That elderly man with a white beard immediately flew backwards from the force and lost consciousness even before he hit the ground. He was only a First-Order Emperor, so how could he withstand Yang Kai’s assault?

The rest of the Emperor Realm Masters remained undaunted though, showing no intention to escape. Four people rushed out from both the left and right sides. Meanwhile, the others held out the Emperor Artifacts and bombarded everything in front of them with relentless attacks, regardless of whether it was an enemy or an ally.

Yang Kai glanced about coldly and with a shift of his body, avoided a ball of fire. Two people from the opposing side rushing towards him failed to notice the attack coming at them and were turned into dust by their own allies as a result. Not even bones were left behind, so nobody would ever know which Sects Elders had died there.

The Mountains and Rivers Bell shot out again to cover three people on the right, unleashing an irresistible suppressive force. Those three also noticed that they were in a tight spot and wanted to escape; however, it was already too late. The moment the bell tolled, they lost control of their strength, and their Emperor Qi became chaotic. Wobbling, they fell to the ground, unable to move, and were swiftly covered by the Mountains and Rivers Bell.

In the meantime, Yang Kai lost no time as he flashed to the side of a beautiful woman and grabbed her by the back of her neck before pushing his Emperor Qi wildly. He first sealed her cultivation before striking her on the back of her head to knock her out. After that, he tossed her into the Mountains and Rivers Bell.

In the blink of an eye, more than half of the dozen Emperor Realm Masters that had ambushed him had been defeated. When the remaining half saw that the situation was turning sour, they stopped trying to fight him and unanimously scattered in all directions to flee.

Yang Kai wanted to chase after them, but half of his body had become numb from the poison; thus, he could only grit his teeth and watch as they escaped. Sweeping his Divine Sense in all directions, he confirmed that there were no other dangerous elements before reaching out to toss the two people he knocked out into the Mountains and Rivers Bell to suppress them. After that, he hid inside the Sealed World Bead.

He appeared directly in the medicine garden with a pale complexion and went directly to sit down cross-legged in front of the Immortal Tree. When Mu Zhu and Mu Lu heard the commotion, they came to check out the situation and were shocked as soon as they saw Yang Kai’s current state. They hurriedly surrounded him, one in front and one at the back, to treat his injuries.

The emerald light enveloped him, and supplemented by the vitality of the Immortal Tree, Yang Kai instantly felt much better. The truth was that all the injuries he suffered were secondary. Even though the dagger had stabbed into his body and pierced his internal organs, such wounds were nothing to him with his current physical constitution and powerful restorative powers.

The problem lay with the strange poison on the dagger. Yang Kai did not know what kind of poison it was that could affect him even with his current physique and cultivation, which was in the Second-Order Emperor Realm. Not to mention his body as a Half-Dragon.

His Emperor Qi surged, washing over the numbed half of his body, and with the help of the two Wood Spirits, that half gradually regained its feeling. Yang Kai was very fortunate in a sense. If it had been any other Third-Order Emperor Realm Master in his situation, they would have died from this strange poison.

It was just that he now had a Half-Dragon Body, and the Dragon Clan had strong resistance against various negative states, poisons were naturally among them. The poison on the dagger might have been very strong, but it was not strong enough to poison a member of the Dragon Clan to death. An ordinary Great Dragon would not have been affected by this poison at all. Unfortunately, it took some effort for Yang Kai to purge this poison from his system since he was only a Half-Dragon.

The two Wood Spirits were not only good at healing wounds, but they were also experts at detoxification. With the assistance of these two, it only took a quarter of an hour before Yang Kai spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood he threw up was not the usual golden colour and instead had a green, oily look to it. Moreover, it was pungent and foul-smelling. The blood landed on the ground with a soft hissing sound.

Following that, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes and stretched his body. There was nothing wrong with his condition now, but as he recalled the ambush, he couldn’t help feeling a lingering sense of fear.

Chapter 3252

Ever since Yang Kai broke through to the Emperor Realm, he rarely ran into opponents that could put up a fight against him. He even killed several Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters; hence, it couldn’t be helped that his mentality had undergone some subtle changes. He finally understood that the world was vast and there were capable people everywhere. The price of underestimating his opponents was nothing but pain and suffering.

It was only thanks to his Half-Dragon Body that he managed to survive this near-death experience; without it, that sneak attack from behind by the black shadow might have killed him instantly, and it was also his Half-Dragon Body that allowed him to survive the fatal poison from that dagger.

It was only thanks to the toughness of his Half-Dragon Body that his body could lock the dagger in place and prevent it from advancing further or being retrieved. It had allowed him to avoid receiving fatal damage, slow down the spread of the poison, and survive the ordeal.

Yang Kai was still filled with doubts when he thought back on what he went through tonight. The only reason he came to that mountain was that Luo Chen had used Gao Xue Ting’s name to bring him along. If not for that, he would never have gone there for no reason; at the same time, it was clear that the black shadow’s ambush had been premeditated.

[How are Luo Chen and Gao Xue Ting related to this matter?] Yang Kai had contacted Gao Xue Ting beforehand and received a response from her; otherwise, he would not have trusted Luo Chen so easily. Moreover, the demonification of those dozen Emperor Realm Masters gave Yang Kai the feeling that something even more nefarious was happening behind the scenes.

The Southern Territory had just resolved the last Demon incident. In the ten or so years that Yang Kai had been in Heng Luo Star Field, the Southern Territory had been hunting down the Demon Spirits that had escaped from Spirit Sword Peak and it was said that the Demon Spirits had all been cleaned up, so where did so many demonified Masters pop out from?

While mulling over it, Yang Kai suddenly came to a shocking realization. The dozen Emperor Realm Masters who attacked him were all people who came to participate in the Martial Gathering, but he didn’t even notice any abnormalities in them until today. If they all quietly underwent the Demon Transformation, then what about the others here? There are hundreds of other Emperor Realm Masters and tens of thousands of elite disciples from all over the Southern Territory within this mountain valley right now. It would be catastrophic if some or even all of them had fallen too!

Not daring to continue with that line of thought, Yang Kai emerged from the Small Sealed World. The Mountains and Rivers Bell stood there quietly on top of the mountain peak while the surroundings were a complete mess, with traces of the huge battle from earlier still remaining. Faint sounds of movement came from inside the bell as the Emperors who were suppressed within were clearly trying to break free. However, the suppression of the Mountains and Rivers Bell was extremely powerful, so how could it be so easy to escape?

Yang Kai struck the bell with a punch, causing a loud clanging noise to ring out, and the inside quietened down following several groans coming from within. When Yang Kai took back the Mountains and Rivers Bell, he saw the five Emperor Realm Masters that he suppressed lying collapsed on the ground. He reached out to grab the white-haired elderly man. Pushing his Emperor Qi, Yang Kai investigated the body of the elderly man as his expression darkened.

The situation was exactly as he had feared. The elderly man had undergone demonification, but it would seem that the Demon Transformation had only happened recently and the Demon Qi had not corrupted him too much; he could still be saved.

With a solemn expression, Yang Kai’s aura went through an astonishing change, instantly becoming ancient and desolate. It was as though he had stepped out of ancient times and was quite incompatible with the world of today. 

Shaman Strength!

Yang Kai wasn’t just an Emperor Realm Master, but also a Shaman King proficient in various Shamanic Spells. From his previous experiences, Yang Kai knew that Shaman Strength was definitely the most effective method to restrain Demon Qi.

Reaching out to press his hand against the elderly man’s head, he began chanting in a strange and broken language. A layer of hazy light instantly enveloped the elderly man and soon after, he began glowing with a faint blood-red light. Bloodlust Spell!

Inside that ancient world, Yang Kai had fought fiercely against the Demon Race for many years and had many experiences in treating people who had undergone the Demon Transformation. The Bloodlust Spell was very effective in resisting Demon Qi’s erosion, and supplemented by his Shamanic Spell, it shouldn’t be difficult to reverse the elderly man’s demonification.

However, the Bloodlust Spell was created to stimulate a cultivator’s Blood Essence, and this elderly man was not young anymore, so doing this would slightly reduce his lifespan. Nevertheless, Yang Kai was in no position to consider that right now. He had to quickly figure out what happened today so that he could plan for the future.

After blessing the elderly man with the Bloodlust Spell, Yang Kai began chanting a new spell, the Demon Exorcism Spell.

The elderly man began trembling as his expression distorted, like he was suffering from great pain before wisps of black smoke flowed out of his seven orifices. That black smoke dissolved without a trace the moment it separated from the elderly man’s body. That was the Demon Qi that had been corrupting him, and it was being purified now by Yang Kai’s spell.

All of a sudden, the elderly man’s eyes jerked open without warning. Those eyes were pitch black. He grimaced in pain, howling and snarling at Yang Kai like a wild beast despite being restrained completely. The way he acted was as though he would only be satisfied if he could tear Yang Kai’s body to pieces with his bare hands.

This scene reminded Yang Kai of numerous previous encounters. Inside the ancient world, the Demon Race and the Barbarian Race had fought fiercely, trying to wipe each other out. The sight of flesh and blood flying in all directions… If he had not seen it for himself, it would have been hard for him to imagine just how cruel the conflict between the two races was.

Fortunately, the elderly man’s struggling and roaring soon subsided. At the same time, the Demon Qi flowing out of his seven orifices lessened, and the darkness in his eyes gradually faded.

More than ten minutes later, the elderly man lay limply on the ground, covered in so much sweat it was like he had just been fished out of the sea. Blinking in confusion, he muttered, “What… What happened?”

Yang Kai stared down at the elderly man from above and asked, “Do you recognize me?”

The elderly man’s vision gradually focused, and he exclaimed in surprise, “Aren’t you Elder Yang of Azure Sun Temple?”

“Do you remember what happened to you?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.

The elderly man frowned and pondered for a moment, but a short while later, his expression changed drastically as he shouted, “W-What happened? The last thing this Old Master remembers is…”

He seemed to have some recollection of what happened just now and was not completely oblivious to the situation.

Yang Kai explained, “You were taken over by Demon Qi and underwent demonification. When and how did it happen?”

“Demonification!?” The elderly man’s expression changed and became as pale as could be. Shaking his head wildly, he muttered over and over, “That’s impossible! Impossible!” 

He seemed to refuse to believe those words. The Southern Territory had been chasing and killing those Demons for more than a decade now, so it was clear that he understood what demonification entailed. He had also met people that had undergone the Demon Transformation before and those people would experience a huge change in temperament. Unable to recognize their family and friends, even willing to kill their wives and children without batting an eye. However, he never imagined that something like this would happen to him and couldn’t help feeling scared.

Yang Kai grabbed the elderly man by the collar and shouted, “What do you mean by impossible!? Just look at those four!”

The elderly man turned in the direction Yang Kai pointed and saw four people collapsed on the ground next to him, each of them surrounded by a pitch-black Demon Qi. The pupils of his eyes contracted abruptly as he had no choice but to face reality. There was no way to explain away the strange events that had happened to him.

“Think about it carefully. Was there anything suspicious that happened to you recently?”

The elderly man hesitated for a moment before he recalled, “This afternoon, Lady Han and I were invited by Elder Feng to meet with Temple Master Lei, and then… I don’t remember much after that.”

“Feng Ming and Lei Gu?” Yang Kai’s expression darkened. There were only two people this elderly man would address as ‘Elder Feng’ and ‘Temple Master Lei’ in the entire Southern Territory, but if those two were the culprits…

Yang Kai abruptly turned his head to look in the direction of Orthodoxy Temple with a worried look on his face.

“That’s right.” The elderly man slowly shook his head and continued, “No, it can’t be the doing of Temple Master Lei… Elder Yang, where are you going?” Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Yang Kai suddenly soar into the sky at an astonishing speed, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Staggering to his feet, the elderly man felt incredibly weak. He turned to look at the four people lying unconscious on the ground, then looked at the traces of battle in the surrounding area. Slapping his thigh in frustration, he sorrowfully muttered, “A great catastrophe is approaching…”

He faintly felt that a storm was brewing, one that would shake the foundations of the world. There were four demonified people here though, so he could not just leave them be. He worried that they might bring harm to their surroundings once they regained consciousness; however, he also had some friendship with these four people and could not bring himself to kill them. He could only think of a way for him to restrain them and bring them back to let Yang Kai heal them. [If Elder Yang can rescue me from the Demon Transformation, he might be able to save these four too.]

At this moment, Orthodoxy Temple was a chaotic mess. The sounds of killing came from all directions as countless figures were trying to flee while corpses lay collapsed in pools of blood everywhere. One of the three top Sects in the Southern Territory had turned into Hellscape in less than an hour.

One after another, Emperor Realm Masters wrapped entirely in Black Qi wandered back and forth, killing people as though they were chopping melons and cutting vegetables. Their pitch-black eyes were filled with cruelty and madness. On the other hand, more than a hundred Emperor Realm Masters had formed a defensive perimeter, shielding all those who fled back to the mountain valley as best they could. That was originally the place where the banquet for the last night of the Southern Territory Martial Gathering had been held tonight.

Feng Ming held a communication artifact in his hand, checking the information inside. He frowned and turned to Lei Gu, who was standing next to him, “I just received news from that side. They failed.”

Lei Gu’s clothes fluttered in the wind and although his entire body was wrapped in black Demon Qi, it was clear that he had not lost his sentience. His situation was not as simple as being corroded by the Demon Qi. Rather, his body had been possessed by a Demon Spirit. At this moment, Lei Gu was no longer the Lei Gu of Orthodoxy Temple. The same went for Feng Ming.

Upon hearing those words, Lei Gu roared furiously, “How could they possibly fail!?” [It was a foolproof arrangement! Just how did they screw it up!?]

“I don’t know the exact details, but that person got away,” Feng Ming shook his head.

“Wastes! All of them!” Lei Gu’s expression turned sullen. It was precisely because they feared that person’s Space Divine Ability that they tried to get rid of him first, lest he disrupt their plans. Contrary to expectations though, the ambush group failed to kill him. These results greatly dissatisfied Lei Gu. Nevertheless, he knew that if even ‘that’ person could not finish the job, it would not have gone any better even if he had gone personally. [I can only say that the Heavens have other plans in mind. It looks like I still underestimated that boy’s abilities.]

“Speed things up. We have to try and wrap things up before word gets out about this incident,” Lei Gu ordered.

Feng Ming nodded and shot into the air with a flicker.

Yang Kai’s figure flashed under the night sky as he wore a tensed expression. His heart and mind were both feeling a sense of calm and worry at the same time. He initially suspected that this matter was related to Luo Chen and Gao Xue Ting, and reality had proven that it was indeed related to them; however, what made him feel relieved was that it was not as though they actually conspired against him. Luo Chen and Gao Xue Ting were most likely under the influence of Demon Qi and were being controlled by somebody else.

Yang Kai suddenly recalled something at that moment. Luo Chen and Gao Xue Ting seemed to have gone out together during the day, and if he remembered correctly, it was because they had been summoned by Lei Gu. Their situations were probably no different from that elderly man from earlier.

It was just that there was something Yang Kai could not figure out. Wasn’t the Demon Spirit situation in the Southern Territory settled? How did the Demon Spirits pull off such a huge operation like this? They deliberately chose this period during the Southern Territory Martial Gathering, so it was clearly a large-scale and thoroughly planned out trap. It could not have occurred over just a day or two, it had to have been in the works for a long time now.

Chapter 3253

A short while later, Yang Kai returned to Orthodoxy Temple, but the sight that entered his vision when he gazed around made his face twitch in response. The Sect Defending Array of Orthodoxy Temple had been activated, and the translucent curtain of light was like an inverted bowl shielding it without any gap.

Before he arrived, he had heard screams coming from inside and it was clear that many had been killed or were being attacked. Then, he looked at a certain spot inside Orthodoxy Temple where black Demon Qi soared to the sky.

His expression changed drastically. [If I remember correctly, that is where the banquet was being held tonight. Before I left, there were hundreds of Emperor Realm Masters and tens of thousands of elite disciples from the Southern Territory gathered in that place. Don’t tell me; have they all been killed or corrupted already!?]

Thinking about it, he realized that it was unlikely. If that was the case, then there would be no need for Orthodoxy Temple to draw him away from this place.

Among the hundreds of Emperor Realm Masters, a number of them were in the Third-Order Emperor Realm, and if all of them had been demonified, he would not have been able to stop them or escape either.

The reason Orthodoxy Temple diverted him away from this place was that they were afraid word of this situation would leak. Hence, they wanted to get rid of him first. His proficiency in the Dao of Space was not a secret, and if they failed in their initial attempts to capture or restrain him, they would not get another.

From the looks of it, the situation was dire but not to the point where it was irreversible. Yang Kai had the feeling that Wen Zi Shan and the others would not be affected by the Demon Qi so easily and might still be fighting back right now.

His figure flickered and, stopping in front of the Sect Defending Array, he glanced up and swept his gaze around. What he saw nearly made his eyes pop out with rage. Many cultivators were fighting for their lives inside Orthodoxy Temple and it was clear that many had realized something was wrong and had tried to flee, further adding to the chaos. However, the Sect Defending Array was blocking their way, so how could anyone escape? All of them had been sealed inside, and as a result, many were killed on the spot by the Demons who were chasing after them. Some had hurriedly run back inside to find another way out when they saw that there was no hope of escape.

Blood-curdling screams, sounds of people begging for mercy, and cries of sorrow rang out from within. People who had still been alive during the day had turned into piles of flesh and pools of blood everywhere. It made Yang Kai’s blood boil with anger, but as his eyes swept across the scene, it suddenly froze on a certain spot only several dozen meters away.

A corpse lying on a small slope stood out to him. It was wearing a familiar set of clothes and had a familiar face. There was a large, gaping hole in its chest, and its internal organs were faintly visible from that wound. The blood flowing out from its wound had stained the slope it was lying on. The blood had yet to dry, and its eyes were slightly open. Lying there with its head tilted to the side, it was completely motionless. That pair of eyes that used to be so dazzling had now gone dull and lost their brilliance.

“Yu Zhuo…” Yang Kai’s lips parted and he called out softly. Unfortunately, he did not receive any response.

[She died? The person who came looking for me time after time for the past month died just like that?] He could barely believe his eyes. Her sweet and clear voice still echoed in his ears and her figure as she turned around to wave goodbye to him was still incredibly clear in his mind. Yang Kai could still remember her nervous attitude as she held the freshly-washed clothes in her hand when she first came to thank him, as well as the slight expectation in her eyes when they repeatedly met to talk.

Long ago, he had once made the mistake of sleeping with a woman when he was intoxicated and it had led to a series of hurt feelings and unfulfilled dreams. Due to his fear of being ambiguous and mistakenly leading a beautiful woman on again, he did not dare nor want to continue his interactions with Yu Zhuo. For that reason, he had turned her away at the door just hours ago. It could be considered as him breaking things off cleanly with her, but now, that energetic figure was lying on the cold, hard ground. Moreover, she was staring in his direction as though she had received a vague premonition in her last moments. Her eyes remained open in death, looking straight at him, who had returned too late…

The blood in his body suddenly turned cold and bitter as he forced himself to look away from those lifeless eyes that seemed to be boring a hole into his soul. He did not dare to look into her eyes again. Lowering his head, a shadow was cast across his face as he clenched his fists tightly before lifting his gaze once more and roaring into the sky in a fit of rage, “Lei Gu!”

About a hundred kilometres away, Lei Gu was standing in the sky when he heard this shout and turned to look in the direction it came from, coldly snorting as he muttered, “He came.”

His eyes flashed, and he rushed over there.

Yang Kai’s shout was clearly heard by many cultivators who were fleeing for their lives, and in the next moment, many rushed over from all directions and stopped in front of him. Separated by the Sect Defending Array, they all seemed to scream, “Senior, save us!”

Yang Kai lifted his eyes and his gaze swept over those panicking faces before it shifted and landed on a figure standing behind them.

Lei Gu’s burly figure came into view and stood in the sky with his hands behind his back. He had a cold expression on his face, his eyes were completely pitch-black, and his entire body was shrouded in Demon Qi. As soon as he appeared, he casually waved his hand.

Yang Kai’s pupils contracted at the sight and he shouted at the cultivators in front of him, “Run!”

But how could they escape? Lei Gu was a Third-Order Emperor, and now that he was possessed by a Demon Spirit, killing was second nature to him. An invisible slash swept out horizontally, cutting dozens of people in two from the waist up. The Sect Defending Array was splattered with a river of blood in an instant, and those people wailed in agony. As they were all cultivators, being cut in two would not kill them instantly. Rather, they experienced an unbridled fear and horror before their death, their screams and wails added an endless gloom to the surrounding world.

“I can’t believe you came back!” Lei Gu looked at Yang Kai coldly and sneered.

“As I thought… It was you!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth.

Lei Gu laughed mockingly, “So what? What can you do to me?”

Yang Kai stared at the Sect Defending Array blocking his way, and forcefully suppressing the boundless anger and guilt he was feeling, he calmly asked, “Do you think a mere Sect Defending Array is enough to stop me?”

Lei Gu replied, “You can go ahead and try it.”

Yang Kai pointed at Lei Gu, “If I don’t trample flat Orthodoxy Temple, I will no longer be surnamed Yang!”

At that moment, a voice shouted from the inside, “Yang Kai! Orthodoxy Temple has become a Demon nest! Hurry up and get reinforcements!”

Yang Kai was stunned as he could tell that the voice belonged to Wen Zi Shan, so he couldn’t be bothered about Lei Gu anymore and shouted loudly, “Temple Master, what’s the situation on the inside!?”

“We can hold on for a little while more, so quickly alert Star Soul Palace!”

Upon hearing those words, Yang Kai’s heart sank. He knew that the situation inside must be pretty bad; otherwise, Wen Zi Shan would not ask him to head for Star Soul Palace, but even if he left for Star Soul Palace now, the trip would take him several days at the very least due to the distance; thus, he replied, “Temple Master, rest assured. I’ll take care of this!”

Lei Gu grinned, “Yang Kai, I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you to achieve your current cultivation. I don’t want to make things difficult for you either. Why not join me instead? With your strength, only great things will await you in the future!”

“Join you? In your dreams!” Yang Kai yelled as his body trembled and he roared, “Dragon Transformation!”

A majestic Dragon’s Roar rang out. At the same time, a dazzlingly Golden Dragon phantom appeared above his head briefly before it flashed into his body. Amidst a chorus of crackling sounds, Yang Kai’s figure expanded explosively. 

50 meters, 100 meters, 150 meters, 200 metres…

Lei Gu’s gaze slowly moved upward as the confident expression on his face changed to one of disbelief. Staring at the behemoth before him in a daze, he blurted out, “A Dragonkin?!”

He finally understood why ‘that’ person failed in the assassination. Yang Kai was a Dragonkin, and although his Dragon Vein seemed a bit unusual, it was obviously not weak if he could utilize it to this degree. The Dragon Clan had incredibly powerful bodies and a natural immunity to most poisons, so it was not strange that that person had failed in the assassination. Nevertheless, Lei Gu never imagined that Yang Kai could perform this kind of transformation. If he had known earlier, he could have made more preparations so that person might have been able to kill Yang Kai in a single strike.

[Mastery over the Dao of Space and a powerful Dragon Vein…] Lei Gu’s expression sank. [If we don’t get rid of this child, he will surely become a huge disaster in the future.]

Before Lei Gu could recover from his shock, Yang Kai suddenly lifted his hand and summoned his Embodiment. Communicating through their thoughts, the Embodiment immediately understood Yang Kai’s intentions. Following that, he let out a loud roar and his body began growing as well.

200 meters, 300 metres, 500 metres…

Lei Gu’s face twitched at this sight. Everything he was witnessing here was utterly incredulous. Yang Kai becoming so massive was unexpected but still somewhat acceptable, but where did this giant Stone Man come from!? How was it even bigger than Yang Kai!? It looked like a Shi Huo, but did such a large Shi Huo exist?

“Smash it!” Yang Kai had such a grand figure now that even his voice sounded like a Dragon’s roar. The moment his voice rang out, both he and Embodiment raised their arms above their heads, clenched their fists, and brought them down with great force. It was as though two huge mountains were falling from the sky and upon impact, two massive depressions appeared on the curtain of light that made up the Sect Defending Array.

Just recently, the Embodiment had destroyed the Sect Defending Array of Full Sky Sect via brute force, and Full Sky Sect’s heritage was not that different from Orthodoxy Temple’s. No matter how strong the Sect Defending Array, there was still a limit to what it could withstand; therefore, Yang Kai had no doubt that he and his Embodiment could break through this Spirit Array if they joined forces.

When the depressions appeared, Yang Kai grinned happily, but unfortunately, the craters in the light curtain bounced back before he could react and at the same time, a strong force was transmitted through both their fists.

Yang Kai was caught off guard and was blown away as a result. His 200-metre-tall body flew through the air before it came crashing down like a large mountain, rolling away and flattening a large part of the forest behind him. 

A rumbling sound rang out at the same time from nearby, and as he turned his head to look in its direction, Yang Kai saw his Embodiment in a similar situation. Furthermore, his Embodiment’s body was larger than his own and consequently created a larger commotion than he did.

*Chi…* 

Yang Kai tried his best to adjust his posture and finally managed to stabilize his body while, on the other side, his Embodiment had done the same. Their gazes suddenly met, and they both saw the astonishment in each other’s eyes. The Sect Defending Array of Orthodoxy Temple was clearly very different from the one at Full Sky Sect.

Meanwhile, Lei Gu also let out a breath of relief as he secretly rejoiced at his luck. [Thank goodness for the Spirit Array’s special characteristics that allow it to reflect brute force. With the power of those two monsters, I’m afraid there isn’t another Sect Defending Array in this world that can stop their frenzied attacks.]

“Again!” Yang Kai shouted as he strode forward, looking clumsy and awkward in his Half-Dragon Form. Nevertheless, he arrived in front of the Spirit Array in a flash and threw a punch straight at it.

*Hong…* 

The curtain of light sunk in again before bouncing back with a correspondingly violent force. This rebound shook Yang Kai’s arm so badly that it went numb and he was forced backwards unsteadily. The same was true for his Embodiment.

Seeing this, Yang Kai’s heart sank with the realization that the situation was not looking good for him. The Sect Defending Array of Orthodoxy Temple was capable of reflecting any kind of brute force attack, so no matter how much strength he put into his attack, it would simply be rebounded back at him. It was truly the nemesis of both himself and his Embodiment.

If Full Sky Sect’s Sect Defending Array had similar properties, his Embodiment would not have been able to destroy it so easily that day.

“Laughable!” Lei Gu sneered at the sight, “I gave you an opportunity, but you didn’t appreciate it. There’s nobody but yourself to blame now! Don’t regret your decision when my Demon Race’s Grand Army arrives and destroys this world!!”

Demon Race Grand Army…

Yang Kai’s brow furrowed slightly at those words; however, he couldn’t be bothered to pay any attention to the other party’s nonsense now. Dragon Language sounded from his giant maw while at the same time, a dazzlingly Golden Dragon phantom manifested above his head and struck out. This attack landed on the Sect Defending Array and created a visible layer of ripples on its surface; however, there was no sign of the force being reflected.

When Yang Kai saw this, he understood the situation immediately. The Sect Defending Array had the ability to reflect physical attacks, but could only disperse Qi-based ones. In other words, it was impossible to break the Spirit Array through brute force, rendering the greatest advantage he and his Embodiment possessed useless.

Chapter 3254

Looking at the situation, Yang Kai and the Embodiment no longer hesitated. They brought out their strongest Divine Abilities and blasted them at Orthodoxy Temple. Amidst the archaic Dragon Language, wave after wave of Dragon Clan Secret Techniques transformed into Golden Dragons and shot out unendingly. Similarly, the fires covering the Embodiment’s body burned fiercely, turning the world around him into a sea of flames, burning down the Sect Defending Array.

For a time, layer after layer of ripples spread out across the surface of the light curtain as it flashed wildly.

Lei Gu coldly snorted at the sight, and an Array Jade appeared in his hand. He placed his other hand on the jade and stabilized the Spirit Array. He had been possessed by a Demon Spirit and his nature had changed greatly, so much so that he was practically a different person altogether, but even so, he could easily control everything that Lei Gu himself possessed. That Array Jade was, naturally, the controller for Orthodoxy Temple’s Sect Defending Array, and driven by Lei Gu’s strength, the Spirit Array immediately became impregnable again.

Yang Kai’s eyes nearly popped out from rage. [How do I enter Orthodoxy Temple if I can’t destroy this Sect Defending Array? How do I save Wen Zi Shan and the others? How do I avenge those who died here today?] 

For a moment, he was consumed by anxiety. [Do I really have no choice but to head towards Star Soul Palace to seek help? But, that will take too long … Who knows what will happen to Wen Zi Shan and the others during that period? In the worst case, they will all undergo demonification. For Lei Gu to choose to act at this point in time indicates that he is very confident of his plans.]

Turning his head to look around, Yang Kai saw that the flames blazing brightly on his Embodiment’s body were definitely affecting the Spirit Array, but unfortunately, judging by the situation, it would not be able to break through in short order, and him working together with his Embodiment would not make a significant difference.

Lei Gu snorted coldly, “Junior, I will make you wish you were dead if you dare to ruin my plans.”

A flaw had truly appeared in his plans as Yang Kai was not dead. News of this incident would surely spread now. In other words, his plan had failed. The only saving grace was that it was not a complete failure. Many Emperor Realm Masters and tens of thousands of elite disciples had fallen into their trap, which was better than nothing. With so many people demonified here, they would definitely become a force that was not to be underestimated and they would open up the path for the next plan.

All of a sudden, Yang Kai stopped and backed away. Glaring at Lei Gu coldly, he executed a Secret Technique before shouting, “Temple Master, can you hold on for a day?”

Lei Gu frowned when he heard this as he did not understand what Yang Kai meant by ‘a day’.

Looking at the current situation, the best Yang Kai could do was to go to Star Soul Palace for help. Unfortunately, Star Soul Palace was very far away and it would definitely take him more than a day to make a return trip even with his Space Techniques.

Wen Zi Shan’s voice came from inside Orthodoxy Temple, “We’ll do our best!”

Another person’s voice rang out, “Little brat, why are you still wasting time here!? Hurry up and go to Star Soul Palace!” It was the voice of Ma Qing, the Holy Master of Heavenly Martial Holy Land. He sounded a little frustrated as it was clear that he had not expected Yang Kai to still be procrastinating here without leaving.

Yang Kai stared at Lei Gu deeply before he shouted, “Good. Everyone, stay strong! Give me one day and I will save you all from this disaster!”

After saying that, he turned to leave. Catching a glimpse of a certain cold corpse lying on the slope out of the corner of his eye, Yang Kai felt an inexplicable pain in his heart, as though it was being gripped tightly by a giant hand.

With a flicker, Yang Kai disappeared from Lei Gu’s field of vision. Following Yang Kai’s departure, Lei Gu stopped injecting his Qi into the Array Jade and the flashing light of the Sect Defending Array gradually subsided in response. Then, he turned to look at the Embodiment and called out, “Divine Spirit Shi Huo?”

The Embodiment stood tall, looking down at Lei Gu across the Spirit Array. His eyes were burning flames that danced continuously. He was connected to Yang Kai’s mind, so there was no need for much communication between them for him to understand what Yang Kai was planning. At the same time, he was also filled with fury and guilt over Yu Zhuo’s death. He stayed behind to divert Lei Gu’s energy so that the latter was unable to focus on attacking Wen Zi Shan and the others. The other reason he stayed behind was to wait for an opportunity to destroy the Sect Defending Array. It would be great if he could destroy it before Yang Kai returned, but even if he couldn’t, he could reduce some of its power as preparations for the next part of the plan.

Seeing that the Embodiment was not speaking, Lei Gu shouted solemnly, “Aren’t Divine Spirits supposed to be noble beings who stand above all others? Since when have they become mere servants to the whims of a Human? You are the greatest embarrassment to Divine Spirits possible!”

If the Embodiment was truly Shi Huo, he might have been angered by those words; however, his base was Yang Kai’s Soul Clone, so why would he be affected by such empty provocations?

When the Embodiment did not react, Lei Gu frowned and gave up on this useless effort before turning around to head back inside.

Before Lei Gu could leave though, the Embodiment ignited his flames again, sending them crashing against the Sect Defending Array.

The corner of Lei Gu’s face twitched as he hurriedly controlled the Array Jade in his hands to reinforce the Spirit Array and resist the power of the flames.

…

A short distance away, Yang Kai’s figure navigated through the sky. It only took a moment for him to return to the mountain peak where he had been attacked before where he saw the white-haired elderly man meditating and adjusting his breathing. The four others still wrapped in Demon Qi remained unconscious on the ground around him.

Upon noticing motion, the elderly man opened his eyes to see that Yang Kai had returned and was overjoyed, “Elder Yang!”

“Quickly go to Star Soul Palace to seek help. Report to them about what happened in Orthodoxy Temple and ask the Great Emperor to take action; otherwise, the entire Southern Territory will be in danger,” Yang Kai said anxiously.

“Ah…” The white-haired elderly man was taken aback for a moment but quickly nodded, “Good.” 

Pointing to the four people, he added, “What about them…”

“Go!” Yang Kai turned around and glared at the elderly man with a gaze that was akin to the eyes of an enraged beast that was about to swallow its prey.

The elderly man did not dare to say anything else in the face of that vicious glare. He realized that time was precious and hurriedly summoned his flight type artifact, ascertained the direction, and headed directly towards Star Soul Palace.

After the old man left, Yang Kai waved his hand and transported the four unconscious people affected by Demon Qi into the Small Sealed World. He suppressed them at a certain spot there before subsequently bringing out a large pile of materials and getting to work.

Going to Star Soul Palace to inform them about the news and asking the Great Emperor for help was certainly one of the ways to resolve this incident; however, Yang Kai was not optimistic about the prospects for that solution. It wasn’t that he did not trust in the Great Emperor’s strength, it was just that it would take too much time. The dust would have settled by the time the Great Emperor arrived. If he wanted to resolve this catastrophe and avenge the dead with certainty, he had to rely on other things. Fortunately, Yang Kai had other options.

The image of that corpse lying on the cold, hard ground kept flashing through his mind. Those dim and lifeless eyes felt like they were carved into the depths of his soul, staring at him, making him suffer with every breath he took.

Strictly speaking, they had only known each other for less than a month and didn’t even have a deep friendship between them. Killing was very normal in the pursuit of the Martial Dao, and the death of one person should not have caused such a large emotional fluctuation in him. Unfortunately, Yang Kai was filled with endless remorse at this moment. Her action of turning around to wave at him goodbye turned out to be a final farewell.

Quickly, a giant Space Array was constructed as many materials were smelted and fused atop the mountain peak, and in less than half a day, it was completed.

Yang Kai did not have time to do any extra inspections of the Space Array as he hurriedly stepped onto it, glanced in the direction of Orthodoxy Temple, and activated it. A light flashed brightly, and his figure disappeared.

A moment later, he appeared on top of the Space Array at High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory, frightening the person on guard duty.

Bian Yu Qing was guarding the Space Array as usual, and when she saw Yang Kai, she immediately got up and cupped her fists, “Palace Master!” 

Then, her eyes focused on a spot around his waist and exclaimed in horror, “Palace Master, are you hurt!?”

Although the wound caused by the black shadow’s sneak attack was no longer an issue, the bloodstains remained and could not be concealed from her eyes.

“Where is the Head Manager?” Yang Kai turned and asked.

Bian Yu Qing was slightly taken aback by his sharp tone and she could tell that something was a little off about him today. He was giving off an aggressive aura and there was an air of danger about him. It was as though he was a volcano that was about to erupt, and it frightened her greatly. She did not know who had injured him or provoked him, but it was her first time seeing him in this state. Thus, she hurriedly replied, “Head Manager just returned yesterday and should be resting right now.”

“Call her over.”

“Yes.” She quickly took out her communication artifact and poured her Divine Sense into it. Lifting her head a moment later, she said, “Please wait for a moment, Palace Master, Head Manager will be here soon.

No more than a dozen breaths later, Hua Qing Si appeared from the outside and glanced at Bian Yu Qing suspiciously. Just moments ago, Bian Yu Qing had called her and asked her to come to the Space Array Area immediately. Since Bian Yu Qing had sounded terribly anxious, Hua Qing Si didn’t dare to delay and rushed over as quickly as she could. Nevertheless, she couldn’t hide her astonishment when she saw Yang Kai standing there with such a dark expression.

Before Hua Qing Si could say anything, she heard Yang Kai’s voice asking her a question, “How many Emperor Realm Masters can we mobilize right now?”

Blinking once, Hua Qing Si organized her thoughts and asked in return, “Palace Master, are you referring to High Heaven Palace alone or the entire Northern Territory?”

“The entire Northern Territory!”

“May I know why you want to mobilize them, Palace Master?”

“Murder, revenge, and annihilation!” He coldly spat out a few words through gritted teeth.

Shocked, Hua Qing Si realized that something serious was happening; otherwise, Yang Kai wouldn’t be giving off such tremendous murderous intent, so she solemnly replied, “With enough time, we can easily gather three or four hundred.”

High Heaven Palace had been leading the other three top Sects during this period as they continued their efforts to subordinate all other great forces in the Northern Territory. Although it had not been long since they started, many Sects had already chosen to submit. There was no other choice; the top four Sects in the Northern Territory had joined hands in this endeavour, so who else in the Northern Territory could stop them? Since they had chosen to surrender, they had to obey whatever orders High Heaven Palace had for them, whether they were willing to or not.

“Good. You have half a day. Mobilize all the Emperor Realm Masters you can muster and have them gather here. I will return to mobilize them at that time.” Yang Kai turned around and stepped onto the Space array again, but after a moment of silence, he said in a solemn tone, “Tell them that if they dare make excuses or refuse to cooperate in any way, I will wipe their forces from the face of the Northern Territory!”

“Yes!” Hua Qing Si’s complexion paled. She wanted to ask for further details, but before she could, his figure had already disappeared from the Space Array.

Afterward, both Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing glanced at each other in confusion with the former asking, “What happened to Palace Master?”

Bian Yu Qing shook her head, “I don’t know either. He didn’t say anything.”

Hua Qing Si frowned slightly. She had the vague feeling that Yang Kai had encountered a very troublesome matter; however, what could cause such a huge issue that he needed to mobilize so many Emperor Realm Masters to deal with it? She had noticed the bloodstain on his body of course, and although she was not clear on the state of his injuries, it could be seen from that alone that their enemy this time was very powerful.

Therefore, she did not dare to treat this matter lightly. After a brief discussion with Bian Yu Qing, they both took out their respective communication artifacts and began spreading the word. After that, the both of them stepped onto the Space Array, one after the other, to begin rallying the Masters from all over the Northern Territory.

Chapter 3255

Some time ago, Yang Kai set up many Space Arrays across the whole of the Northern Territory so that it would be easier to travel around; otherwise, how could they gather help in just half a day? An hour later, more than half of the Northern Territory was in pandemonium over an order from High Heaven Palace. Countless Emperor Realm Masters were anxious and uneasy, wondering why High Heaven Palace had suddenly called upon them.

[Are they trying to burn all bridges? But, how will that benefit High Heaven Palace?] Needless to say, many wanted to fake being sick or make up excuses so that they could skip this. Unfortunately, the message from High Heaven Palace made them too afraid to not go. Yang Kai had already threatened them with annihilation, so who would dare to blow him off after that? He was the one who wiped out Seeking Passion Sect. The place where High Heaven Palace was currently occupying was where Seeking Passion Sect used to be. Nobody wanted to be the second Seeking Passion Sect; after all, if Yang Kai truly wasn’t joking about this matter, he was perfectly capable of destroying anyone he wanted to.

There was a constant stream of people teleporting to High Heaven Palace through the Space Array. It started out with three people, followed by five, ten, then twenty… The hall gradually began to fill with people and became overcrowded. A few latecomers instantly felt relief upon seeing so many other Emperor Realm Masters from the Northern Territory gathered here. It would seem that High Heaven Palace was not planning to get rid of them after achieving its goals; otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many Emperor Realm Masters gathered in one place.

Some people gathered around Bian Yu Qing to ask about the situation, but unfortunately, she was as clueless as they were. Yang Kai had rushed back here, issued some orders, and then left again in a hurry; therefore, she had no idea what was going on either. Being completely bewildered herself, she could only ignore their questions. Lucky for her, nobody dared to act aggressively here, so when they saw that she was ignoring them with a cold expression, they had no choice but to retreat and even smile at her ingratiatingly.

Bian Yu Qing couldn’t help feeling a little amazed at this. The Emperor Realm Masters she had to look up to in the past were now the ones that had to act in accordance with her will. This kind of respect was something Blue Feather Sect could never have given her. She knew better than anybody that these Emperor Realm Masters were not afraid of her as she was just a First-Order Emperor and many of these Emperor Realm Masters in this room were more powerful than her. If not for the name ‘High Heaven Palace’ behind her, such a situation would never occur. Thus, she felt a little proud and honoured.

Whilst High Heaven Palace was in a tumultuous condition, Yang Kai had already teleported to the Ancient Wild Lands. He stepped out from inside the small Tree Cave just in time to see a Stone Spirit probingly looking in this direction. Since he had no idea which Stone Spirit this was, he could only ask, “Is Elder around?”

The Stone Spirit raised his hand and pointed at the Tree Cave where Elder lived, and Yang Kai rushed over in that direction. It didn’t take long before he saw Elder inside the Tree Cave.

Elder glanced at Yang Kai in astonishment and asked, “Little Friend, why are you here again?”

It had not been long since Yang Kai left this place, less than two months in fact, but Yang Kai did not have any time to waste so he simply bowed solemnly and declared, “I came to ask the Stone Spirit Clan for help.”

Elder nodded, “Good.”

Yang Kai was stunned, “Elder, are you not going to ask what this is about?” 

He did not expect Elder to agree so readily.

Elder chuckled, “From the way you look, it seems as if you have run into something troublesome. The Stone Spirit Clan doesn’t have many friends, so how can we stand by and do nothing when one of those few are in trouble?”

Yang Kai bowed deeply, “Many thanks for fulfilling my request, Elder. But, I must let you know that this matter is occurring in the Southern Territory!”

“The Southern Territory?” Elder raised his stone brow. The Ancient Wild Lands was located in the Eastern Territory, so a matter in the Southern Territory seemed a little out of their reach, but thinking back on the Space Array arranged by Yang Kai, he instantly understood.

“This matter also involves the Demon Race!”

“The Demon Race!?” Elder exclaimed in shock.

Yang Kai glanced at Elder and asked thoughtfully, “Elder, do you know about the Demon Race?”

Elder replied with a stern expression, “Aside from the Divine Spirits, there is no one else in this world that has a deeper understanding of the Demon Race than the Stone Spirit Clan.”

The Divine Spirit had their Source Inheritance, which not only granted them incredible power, but also a certain amount of memories and experience from all previous Divine Spirits who carried this source in the past. As such, all Divine Spirits, regardless of what kind, had inherited memories of their ancestors. For that reason, they had some knowledge of the Demon Race even though the matters involving the Demon Race had occurred a very long time ago.

The Stone Spirit did not have the convenience of receiving such an inheritance, but they had extraordinarily long lifespans. Elder himself had experienced the changes of several eras and even personally fought against the Demon Race in the past, so how could he not know the horrors of the Demon Race and what formidable enemies they were?

“The Demon Race appeared in the Southern Territory?” Elder asked gravely.

Yang Kai said, “A Demon Cave appeared in the Southern Territory more than ten years ago and somebody broke the seal on it, releasing thousands of Demon Spirits. Those Demon Spirits were capable of possessing the bodies of cultivators, making them very difficult to defend against. For more than ten years, the Southern Territory has been hunting down these Demon Spirits and it was thought that they had been wiped out, but last night it became clear that was not the case. Apparently, many more Demon Spirits had been hiding in the dark and they set up a huge trap, targeting the cultivators of the Southern Territory. All the major Sects in the Southern Territory, including hundreds of Emperor Realm Masters and tens of thousands of elite disciples have been caught in this trap. I was fortunate enough to escape their clutches, but I need to rush back to rescue them as soon as possible; otherwise, it will be too late!”

“Such a thing happened…” Elder was shocked. Although he had not witnessed it with his own eyes, he couldn’t help being shocked when Yang Kai mentioned the involvement of hundreds of Emperor Realm Masters and tens of thousands of elite disciplines in the Southern Territory in the matter. 

“Any matter involving the Demon Race isn’t just an issue for the Southern Territory, it affects the entire Star Boundary. The Stone Spirit Clan might live in seclusion, but we cannot stand idly by in this situation. This matter is extremely urgent. Let us depart now.”

“Many thanks, Elder!” Pleasantly surprised, Yang Kai nodded and quickly led the way.

Upon leaving the Tree Cave, Elder pounded the cane in his hands against the ground a few times and the Stone Spirits immediately walked out of their respective Tree Caves while many Wood Spirits flew over.

Elder conveyed Yang Kai’s message with a few simple sentences, horrifying both the Stone Spirits and the Wood Spirits. It was clear that they knew the terrors of the Demon Race. Without wasting any time, they filed into the small Tree Cave under Yang Kai’s lead and stepped onto the Space Array.

Yang Kai had made special preparations when he arranged this Space Array two months ago. He intentionally made it very large in preparation for the day when the Stone Spirits would need to make use of it. Nevertheless, he never expected this day to come so quickly.

The Stone Spirits were so large that Yang Kai could only teleport them one at a time, but he worked quickly to organize this deployment. Then, he turned to Elder and said, “For the time being, please don’t act rashly when you arrive at that place. I don’t know how many Demon Race there are or whether they have reinforcements. For now, please stand guard around the Space Array while I arrange more reinforcements; after everyone is assembled, we will defeat the enemy in one fell swoop.”

“Good. Rest assured, Little Friend, we will not disappoint your trust,” Elder nodded as he stood by the Space Array.

After sending off all the Stone Spirits besides Elder, Yang Kai soared up into the sky and rushed straight towards a certain direction. His Emperor Qi flowed freely as he completely ignored his consumption, teleporting over and over again, causing his figure to repeatedly flicker across the sky.

In less than an hour, the towering palace appeared in his field of vision. It was none other than the palace belonging to Luan Feng, the South Divine Venerable of the Ancient Wild Lands.

Before Yang Kai could land on the ground, he heard an angry shout, “Who goes there!?”

A charming woman flew towards him from the front. She was dressed very revealingly, and the Monster Qi around her was extremely powerful. She clearly had the strength of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, not weaker than Ying Fei and the others.

Yang Kai glanced at this woman and felt that she was a little familiar. Although he was certain she was one of the thirty-two Monster Kings, he could not remember which Monster King she was, and right now he didn’t care as he was in no mood to deal with her, so he flicked his sleeve angrily and shouted, “Move aside!”

This Monster King was furious. She might be a subordinate of the Divine Venerables in the Ancient Wild Lands, but no one had ever dared to talk to her in such a manner. Even the other Monster Kings did not dare to do so as they knew how terrifying it was when this woman became enraged. She was just about to teach Yang Kai a lesson when she noticed that this person seemed a bit familiar. Upon a closer look, she became both surprised and happy all at once. [Isn’t that him!?] 

Her furious expression instantly transformed into a smiling one as she called out, “So it is…”

Halfway through her sentence though, Yang Kai brushed past her and rushed forward. He landed directly in the middle of Luan Feng’s palace and turned to look around his surroundings. Then, under the shocked gaze of the many maids, he shouted loudly, “Luan Feng!”

That Monster King was completely ignored but did not dare to lose her temper at him. Everybody knew that this Human was related to the Blood Gate and the Divine Spirit Sources inside. She couldn’t wait to get into his good books, so how could she dare to offend him so easily? [I wonder what kind of luck Ying Fei and the other two have for them to be able to follow him around all the time. It makes me so envious of them! My cultivation is no worse than Ying Fei and the others; moreover, both my looks and figure are outstanding. I might be able to get into a favourable and advantageous position if I can take the opportunity to get closer to him…]

Those thoughts were swirling around in her head when she heard Yang Kai’s furious roar and her expression twitched violently, quietly thinking to herself. [What is wrong with this guy today? He looks like he is here on a punitive expedition. I wonder what his purpose is.]

Uncertain, she didn’t dare to approach him rashly, choosing to hover nearby and observe anxiously, feeling extremely conflicted. [If he starts fighting with the Divine Venerable, should I help… I will suffer if I offend the Divine Venerable, but if I offend him… I can forget about obtaining my Ancestral Source and awakening the power of a Divine Spirit.]

“Why are you being so loud?” A cold voice rang out. Luan Feng appeared not far away from Yang Kai with a frosty expression. Her eyes were so cold that ice was practically forming on her face; furthermore, her expression was filled with disgust and repulsion when she looked at him. 

She secretly felt extremely troubled. [Why is this brat here again? Is he still unsatisfied after taking advantage of us and robbing us blind? Isn’t his greed a little too much!?] 

She was annoyed, and her tone reflected her annoyance; however, she couldn’t help feeling worried when she saw his expression. [I didn’t provoke him, right?]

“I have a favour to ask of you!” Yang Kai didn’t bother beating around the bush and went straight to the point.

[So, he’s here to ask for a favour.] Upon hearing those words, she immediately felt more confident again. [It’s all fine as long as he is not here to cause trouble for me.] 

Luan Feng lifted her hand and adjusted her sleeves while calmly asking, “Is this the attitude of somebody asking for help?”

[Coming to my palace and making such a ruckus… It’s clear that he is looking down on me. Besides, how dare he ask me for a favour in such an arrogant manner!?] Although she was afraid of the power behind him, that did not mean she could give up on her dignity as a Divine Spirit. She secretly decided to take him down a peg or two, lest he remained so defiant in the future.

“Just tell me if you’ll help me or not!” Yang Kai completely ignored her complaint and continued in an extremely aggressive and harsh tone.

Yang Kai’s response left Luan Feng feeling both furious and amused, “You don’t even say what it is that you want my help with. How can I respond to your request? You can’t expect me to agree if you ask me to die, right?”

“Of course what I’m asking for is within your abilities.”

Luan Feng spat disdainfully, “This Queen doesn’t owe you anything, does she?”

“That’s why I said I’m asking you for a favour!”

Chapter 3256

[This rotten brat is becoming more and more hateful!] Luan Feng ground her teeth, “What will happen if I help? What will happen if I don’t help?”

“If you help me this time, I will owe you a favour. If you won’t help, then I’ll leave immediately.”

She sneered, “Why would I want a favour from you?”

Yang Kai looked at her coldly, nodded in acknowledgment, and took off into the sky.

She was taken aback. [Is he really going to leave? Just like that? Why is he acting simply on what I say? Is he crazy!? He didn’t even give me any time to consider!] 

Although she hated his arrogant attitude, it would be bad if he held a grudge against her in the future; thus, she could only lift a hand and shout, “This Queen’s palace is not a place you can come and go as you please!”

“What do you want then?” Yang Kai paused mid-stride and turned back to look at her, his gaze so cold that the chill was almost tangible.

When their gazes met, Luan Feng’s heart jumped to her throat and she suddenly realized that something seemed to be wrong with him today. He might have been somewhat annoying before, but he had always been reasonable. This time, he almost seemed like a different person altogether. [It looks like he is really in great trouble. Moreover, it’s something that has greatly infuriated him.]

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“It’s none of your damn business!”

[That is not the attitude one should be taking when asking for a favour!] Luan Feng was so livid that she was tempted to slap him hard. Unfortunately, she knew that he was not weak and she might not be strong enough to kill him if she really forced his hand. More importantly, the consequences of confronting him was not something she could afford to bear. Gritting her teeth bitterly, she shouted, “There won’t be a next time!”

That meant that she agreed to help.

Yang Kai didn’t waste any more time and got straight to the point, “Call Fan Wu and Cang Gou over, and summon the other twenty-nine Monster Kings from the Ancient Wild Lands.” He turned around and landed back in the palace, standing not too far away from her.

Luan Feng was shocked, “What are you planning to do!?”

She initially thought that he was only asking her for help, but how could she have known that he would make such an outrageous demand? [He not only wants Fan Wu and Cang Gou, but the twenty-nine Monster Kings too!? That’s the most powerful force the entire Ancient Wild Lands can gather! Could this bastard be trying to start a war against a Great Emperor!?]

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Luan Feng felt a chill running down her back. She might be a Divine Spirit, but she was aware of her own limits. There were only so few Great Emperors in total, and each of them was an existence acknowledged by the World itself. If they really fought against a Great Emperor, not many from the Ancient Wild Lands would survive the battle. Not to mention, Great Emperor Sects had deep and profound heritages.

She felt a jolt of fear as she looked into his eyes. [I have always known that this boy is incredibly reckless and fearless, but isn’t this being a little too bold?]

Of course, she was overthinking things.

“What are you standing around gawking for!? I want to see them all here within an hour! Hurry up and contact them!” Yang Kai suddenly felt annoyed when he saw Luan Feng standing there stupidly. He had given High Heaven Palace half a day so he also needed to finish things up here in less than half a day. He didn’t have the time to care about anything else anymore.

Suppressing the panic in her heart, Luan Feng was no longer in the mood to care about how rude he was being and her beautiful brow knit together, “Just what do you want us to do? You can at least tell me that, right?”

“Kill some, rescue others!”

“Who is the enemy?” After asking this question, Luan Feng felt her heart pounding violently again. She was very afraid that the name of one of the Great Emperors would come out of his mouth.

Unexpectedly though, he lowered his gaze as three words came out of his mouth, “The Demon Race!”

“The Demon Race!?” Luan Feng’s expression changed greatly as she asked, “Has the Demon Race invaded!? When did that happen?!” 

Although she had never seen a Demon herself, she had some understanding of the Demon Race from the Source Inheritance she received. [More than a hundred thousand years have passed since this land last saw a member of the Demon Race. Where did they pop out from again?]

Yang Kai, however, just lifted his gaze and glared at her, “Are you going to keep wasting time here with me? I want to see those two and the twenty-nine Monster Kings here within an hour! If they can help me, I promise to allow all of them to inherit Divine Spirit Sources in the future!”

Luan Feng was stunned for a moment before she gritted her teeth with a pained and bitter expression. It would be fine if nobody ever learned about what he just said; however, the twenty-nine Monster Kings would throw themselves at his feet if they so much as got wind of this news. Even the Three Great Divine Venerables stepping forward together would not be able to control them. On the other hand, those twenty-nine Monster Kings would bear a grudge against her forever if she refused his request today. It would be a huge embarrassment for them when that happened.

“You’re too ruthless!” She coldly snorted before commenting, “An hour is not enough. Some of the Monster King’s territories are too far from here so they won’t be able to reach this place in an hour’s time.”

“How long?”

“Four hours!”

“Fine. Then, I will wait here for the next four hours!” After saying that, Yang Kai closed his eyes and remained where he stood, refusing to budge.

Luan Feng glared at him before heading into the depths of her palace. He did not know what she was busy doing, and he had no intention of monitoring her either. In any case, there was nothing else to say. If Luan Feng knew what was best for her, she would definitely help him to the best of her abilities. If not, it wouldn’t be too late to make her pay for this at a later date. Besides, the Northern Territory was still assembling and would need some time to finish their preparations as well, so this was not going to slow down his plans.

Luan Feng was clearly mad at him, and when she departed, she dismissed all the servants in the surrounding areas and left him standing there like a lone javelin. Not a single person came to serve him tea or even offer him a chair. The meaning behind their lack of hospitality was obvious.

A moment later though, a fragrant scent wafted over. Somebody landed next to Yang Kai, and noticing the movement, he opened his eyes to look only to see a seductive and charming woman looking at him with a smile on her face. It was none other than the Monster King he met earlier.

When their eyes met, that seductive woman smiled and politely said, “Du Mi’er greets you, Sir.”

She was already dressed in rather revealing clothes, and now she was intentionally or unintentionally showing off her assets. She was using everything she had to fawn over him, and her smile was brighter than a flower.

“What do you want?” Yang Kai glared at her coldly.

Du Mi’er waved her hand nonchalantly, “It’s nothing. This Mistress is a Monster King serving under the South Divine Venerable and has long admired Sir Yang’s power. Now that I meet you, I can see that Sir really deserves his reputation.” While speaking, she gave a wave of her hand and took out a chair from her Space Ring. 

She diligently said, “Sir, please have a seat.”

He gently nodded and the frosty expression on his face reduced slightly as he adjusted his robes before taking a seat.

Leaning in suddenly, Du Mi’er softly said, “Lady Divine Venerable has a bit of a short temper, so please don’t blame her for neglecting you, Sir.”

She exhaled an orchid scent while she spoke, and a delicate fragrance lingered around the tip of Yang Kai’s nose, making the murderous aura and rage he was exuding soften considerably. His tumultuous emotions also gradually calmed down too.

Turning his head around, he looked at her calmly, “What if she heard you speaking badly about her behind her back?”

Du Mi’er’s expression stiffened for a moment. Then, she shyly said, “I was only saying it to you, Sir. I’m sure you won’t spread it around.”

Yang Kai swept his eyes over her and asked curiously, “What is your original form?”

She pursed her lips and smiled, “I am a Flower Monster, Sir.” 

Lifting her hand mid-sentence, she snapped her fingers and a golden-yellow flower instantly appeared between her fingers. It gave off a strong fragrance that was very intoxicating.

Yang Kai nodded in response, “It’s very rare for plants to gain sentience.” It was much more difficult for plants to become Monsters compared to creatures with flesh and blood bodies. He never imagined that the Monster King in front of him would be a Flower Spirit. In addition, she managed to cultivate to become a Monster King. It was truly an extremely rare case.

Du Mi’er murmured bashfully, “Sir praises me too much. I also experienced a lot of hardship and it took many years for me to achieve the success I have today.” 

At the same time, she secretly observed his reactions, and seeing that he had no intention of continuing the conversation, she bit her lips and tried another approach, “Sir, I heard that Ying Fei, Xi Lei, and Xie Wu Wei are working as your subordinates. Is that true?”

“Why ask something you already know?”

She pouted, “What can three smelly men do? I’m sure they can’t even do their job of serving you well. I don’t know what the Divine Venerables were thinking. They should have sent a woman to take good care of you instead. At the very least, a woman can take care of your daily life, Sir.”

“Are you very good at taking care of people?” He gave her a sideways look.

To which Du Mi’er eagerly said, “Sir, would you like to try? You look pretty frustrated and bogged down with troubling matters. This isn’t good. With a battle approaching, it’s best if you can empty your mind so you can focus your strength. If Sir is willing, this Mistress can display a few of her skills.” 

After saying that, she looked at him eagerly while waiting for his reply.

However, she didn’t get any reaction from him even after a long time, so gritting her teeth, she made up her mind, walked behind him, placed both hands on his shoulders before leaning close to his ear, “Sir, just relax. You can leave the rest to me. I’ll definitely satisfy you.”

A soft fragrance in the wind tickled his ears like an invisible hand, causing his emotions to ripple. It also calmed the anger and various negative emotions that he had been suppressing.

Two delicate, seemingly boneless hands pressed against his shoulders and head, kneading with a gentle pressure. An almost imperceptible Monster Qi and Spiritual Energy also fluctuated, quickly making Yang Kai feel as if he was floating in a sea of flowers. The world was vast, the sea of flowers was boundless, allowing his mind to obtain peace.

Seeing Yang Kai’s tense expression gradually softening and the aura around him slowly stabilizing, Du Mi’er smiled and became even more attentive than before.

After Luan Feng relayed her message, various figures came out from all directions of the Ancient Wild Lands. Each one of them had impressive Monster Qi that surged strongly. Many Monster Commanders looked up into the sky, not understanding the reason why their Kings were being summoned.

An hour later, more than a dozen Monster Kings had gathered in Luan Feng’s palace while the rest were on their way. It would not take long for all of them to gather here. A group of Monster Kings had come to the courtyard where Yang Kai was in and were either sitting or standing, staring directly at Yang Kai and Du Mi’er.

Despite being surrounded by so many people, Du Mi’er didn’t feel the slightest shame. Instead, she became even more attentive towards Yang Kai as she massaged him. Her long and slender neck held high like a proud rooster.

“Bitch! Slut! Shameless woman!” Looking at the way Du Mi’er was acting, a glamorous female Monster King couldn’t help scolding Du Mi’er with a disdainful expression.

A furry male Monster King standing next to her smiled and added, “You can join her.”

She snorted coldly, “I am not that immoral.”

Looking her up and down, that male Monster King sneered, “Why are you pretending to be so innocent? Which Monster King from the Ancient Wild Lands has not gotten a taste of you before?”

She raged, “I’ll rip your mouth off if you speak again!”

He reached out to hug her, “What will you use?”

“Scram!”

“Alright, stop making a fuss. Does anybody know why the Divine Venerable called us here?” Another Monster King stepped forward and asked with a puzzled expression.

Chapter 3257

The entire group of Monster Kings shook their heads. Nobody knew why they were gathered here. They simply came after receiving a summons from their respective Divine Venerables. They might not understand the situation, but one thing was certain. This matter was related to Yang Kai; otherwise, he would not appear here.

However, Yang Kai was calmly sitting there and enjoying Du Mi’er’s service. They could hardly go up and disturb him while he was sitting there without moving. All the Monster Kings recognized him. They also knew what kind of power was backing him; hence, they naturally refused to make things unnecessarily difficult for themselves.

Time passed slowly, and Monster King after Monster King arrived at this place. In less than four hours, all twenty-nine Monster Kings had been gathered. Similarly, Luan Feng, Cang Gou, and Fan Wu also showed up. Upon seeing these three, the Monster Kings bowed in greeting.

On the other hand, Yang Kai finally opened his eyes. The light in his eyes was full of energy and he had to admit that while Du Mi’er might behave a little frivolously, she was truly good at serving others. She was a Flower Spirit, so it would seem that she had an Innate Divine Ability that could soothe a person’s emotions.

“Is everybody here?” He turned to look around him.

Fan Wu’s expression was rather unpleasant as although he had heard the general story from Luan Feng, Yang Kai’s actions made him a little uncomfortable. When it came down to it, the Ancient Wild Lands was the territory of the Monster Race. Since when was a Human allowed to make decisions here? As such, he fell silent for a moment before nodding, “They are all here.”

“Good, then let’s go,” Yang Kai got up and headed towards the place where the Stone Spirit Clan lived.

The twenty-nine Monster Kings stared at the Three Great Divine Venerables curiously, but at this point, what could the three of them say? They had no choice but to raise their hands and all the gathered figures rose into the sky in an instant to follow closely behind Yang Kai.

Fan Wu and the other two caught up and flew side-by-side with Yang Kai, but none of them spoke up.

Seeing this, Yang Kai took the initiative to speak, “Many thanks for being so understanding. I will forever remember the help you offer today and will surely pay you back handsomely in the future.”

Luan Feng coldly snorted, “That’s not the attitude you had before.” 

She was still holding a grudge over his arrogant and imperious manner previously. [Things would have gone so much smoother if he had adopted this attitude earlier.]

He turned to glare at her, “Aren’t you ashamed to say that?”

“What’s the matter? I can’t even argue back now?” Her temper flared up as she glared at him, refusing to back down.

Yang Kai snapped back, “If you hadn’t destroyed my Space Array back then, would we need to rush around like this today? We could have arrived at our destination directly from your Phoenix Nest Palace! But now what? We have to travel for at least an hour! If this causes any delay in my plans, you will see how I deal with you!”

Luan Feng blinked at him when he brought up the events of the past, feeling a little guilty. It was true that she had destroyed his Space Array at that time, but who could have imagined that he would be in such a rush today? She turned her head away and muttered, “What are you shouting at me for? How could I have known that this would happen?”

“Enough. Now that things have come to this, there’s no point arguing about it further.” Fan Wu jumped out to mediate between them. Regardless of the circumstances, the Ancient Wild Lands did not wish to fight against Yang Kai, so he quickly changed the subject, “Little Brother Yang, why don’t you tell us what is going on now?”

Luan Feng had only told them that Yang Kai wanted to recruit the strongest combat power the Ancient Wild Lands could assemble, and that it seemed to be related to the Demon Race. However, she could not explain the situation to them clearly. Now that they had decided to take action, it was only natural to learn more about the situation.

Upon hearing those words, Yang Kai couldn’t be bothered to argue with Luan Feng anymore and pondered in silence for a moment before explaining, “Ten years ago, I was invited by somebody to explore an Ancient Cave Mansion in the Southern Swamp of the Southern Territory…”

They had time on the road anyway, so he briefly told them about what happened in the Ancient Cave Mansion more than ten years ago, as well as what happened afterwards. Then, he explained the situation at the Southern Territory Martial Gathering again.

When the Three Great Divine Venerables heard that the Demon Spirits had been resurrected and the Southern Territory had suffered a Demon invasion, all three of them were shocked. Then, their expressions changed greatly once more when they heard that the Temple Master of Southern Territory’s Orthodoxy Temple had been possessed by a Demon Spirit and set up a massive trap to ensnare hundreds of Emperor Realm Masters and tens of thousands of elite disciples. They glanced at each other with the sudden realization of how serious the situation was.

“Are you saying that hundreds of Emperor Realm Masters from the Southern Territory are still trapped within Orthodoxy Temple right now?”

“That was the case when I left. There’s no way for them to escape as long as the Sect Defending Array isn’t destroyed. I don’t know what the situation inside is like now.”

Cang Gou stroked his chin as he muttered, “Hundreds of Emperor Realm Masters… I wonder how many have already been corrupted by Demon Qi.”

Since Yang Kai had been ambushed by more than ten demonified Emperor Realm Masters, they could be certain that those were not the only ones. There were probably a lot more than that; after all, the Martial Gathering had lasted for a whole month. If Orthodoxy Temple had planned this all in advance, they could have infected many more people with Demon Qi. Those people might look no different under normal circumstances, but they would create extensive damage once an outbreak occurred and lead to even more people being affected by Demon Qi. If the cycle continued, everybody inside would have become a Demon by now.

“I hope the situation isn’t too disastrous.” He sighed.

Luan Feng frowned, “If Orthodoxy Temple has been plotting this for a long time, why did they lead you away and try to assassinate you? Isn’t that akin to lifting a rock only to drop it on their foot?”

Yang Kai coldly replied, “Maybe they just didn’t expect to fail at killing me.” 

That was the reality of the situation and he still felt a sense of lingering fear whenever he thought back on the assassination. If his assassin had not been unfamiliar with his body constitution and was unaware that he had a Half-Dragon Form, he could very well have died already.

Luan Feng, however, shook her head in response, “What I meant was why didn’t they leave you inside the Temple? They could have left you stuck knee-deep in trouble, and you would have been incapable of escaping. There was no need to assassinate you.”

Cang Gou said, “It’s no secret that Little Brother Yang is proficient in the Dao of Space. I have a feeling that they were afraid he might escape after noticing that the situation wasn’t right. It would be safer to kill him off first.”

Luan Feng felt that those words made great sense when she thought about it and gave a nod.

Fan Wu suddenly exclaimed in surprise, “Those Demons really arranged a grand and complicated game of chess!”

“What do you mean?” Yang Kai looked at Fan Wu suspiciously, wondering what it was that shocked Fan Wu so greatly.

Fan Wu proceeded to explain, “Just think about it. If you didn’t happen to escape the assassination, what would have happened to Orthodoxy Temple?”

Frowning, Yang Kai considered it for a moment, “In the worst case, all the surviving cultivators would experience demonization.”

“That’s right!” Fan Wu clapped his hands, “And if those demonified cultivators were to return to their respective Sects and act quietly…”

Yang Kai followed Fan Wu’s logic and was shocked, “The entire Southern Territory would have been in danger!”

Fan Wu added, “With so many top Masters corrupted, the entire Southern Territory would quickly have fallen to the Demons. At that point, even the Great Emperors would have a hard time rectifying the situation.”

Yang Kai felt a chill when he heard those words as he realized that Fan Wu’s conjecture might be exactly what Orthodoxy Temple had been planning. If he had not escaped the assassination by chance and gotten the chance to reveal this plot, who would have known about the calamity within Orthodoxy Temple?

Cang Gou spoke up, “If Orthodoxy Temple dared to target all the people within the Southern Territory, they must have gathered a lot of Demons under their cause. With just our numbers…”

Yang Kai quickly said, “Rest assured, you’re not the only ones. I also recruited many others for this mission. I’m not going to let a single Demon escape from Orthodoxy Temple this time.”

“Others?” Cang Gou looked at Yang Kai curiously, but when he saw that Yang Kai was not willing to go into further details, he stopped asking questions. He had been worried that Yang Kai was acting out of anger without any real plans. Since there was a plan in place though, then there was nothing to worry about anymore.

Yang Kai continued, “In any case, be careful not to be infected by Demon Qi when you are fighting against those Demons and be especially on guard against being possessed by those Demon Spirits. I have personally witnessed people who were possessed by the Demon Spirits and they exhibit no outward signs whatsoever. They don’t look any different even after being possessed. It’s all very subtle.”

“We know.” Fan Wu nodded.

They had not deliberately suppressed their voices during their conversation, so they were naturally overheard by the Monster Kings behind them. That was also part of Yang Kai’s intention. The Monster Kings were incredibly shocked to learn that they were going to fight against people under the control of Demon Qi. That was not something they had ever experienced before; furthermore, they did not know which was stronger between Demon Qi and Monster Qi. Regardless, this was a good chance to do well and stand out. If they could catch Yang Kai’s attention, becoming a Divine Spirit in the future was no longer unattainable.

Luan Feng had not told them about Yang Kai’s earlier promise. It wasn’t because she was worried that Yang Kai might go back on his word, but rather that it would stir up the Monster Kings too much, causing them to be eternally grateful towards Yang Kai if they learned of it. That would fundamentally shake the rule of the Three Great Divine Venerables in the Ancient Wild Lands.

Rushing all the way, the group arrived at the residence of the Stone Spirit Clan within an hour. Elder had not left yet and was standing by, waiting with the Mu Na, Matriarch of the Wood Spirit Clan.

They couldn’t help glancing at each other when they saw the Three Great Divine Venerables and twenty-nine Monster Kings descending from the sky. They were secretly amazed as, although they knew Yang Kai had quite a lot of influence among the Monster Race in the Ancient Wild Lands, they had not expected it to be this exaggerated. Yang Kai had brought along all the top Masters in the Ancient Wild Lands with him.

When the two parties met, Elder exchanged a few words with the Three Great Divine Venerables before they stepped onto the Space Array under Yang Kai’s leadership. By the time the flash of light had subsided, they had arrived on a mountain top.

Eight Stone Spirits had arrived at this place a long time ago and were now guarding all approaches to the Space Array. Seeing movement on the Space Array, they all turned to look in its direction.

The Three Great Divine Venerables and twenty-nine Monster Kings appeared one after another. Glaring at each other, they were quickly separated and formed into two groups. The relationship between the Stone Spirits and the Monster Race of the Ancient Wild Lands had never been harmonious and it was only over the past ten years that they started getting along a little more peacefully thanks to Yang Kai.

After Yang Kai finished transporting the people from the Ancient Wild Lands to their destination, he told them to wait for him before turning around and stepping onto the Space Array again.

It was crowded inside the main hall where the Space Array was located in High Heaven Palace. Nearly two hundred Emperor Realm Masters had been gathered in this place, with at least half of them whispering among themselves while the rest were standing to the side alone. As time passed, impatient emotions gradually began to spread.

If not for the Masters of the top four Sects watching them like hawks, the Emperor Realm Masters of these Sects would have broken out into a riot by now. They had answered the summons of High Heaven Palace to come here without knowing the reason why; moreover, their questions remained unanswered even after asking Head Manager Hua Qing Si. It was to be expected that they were feeling extremely uneasy. They kept wondering whether High Heaven Palace was quietly raising the butcher’s knife to slaughter them. But, how would that benefit High Heaven Palace?

Ying Fei, Xie Wu Wei, and Xi Lei were each standing at one corner of the hall, their Monster Qi overflowing as they swept their eyes around coldly. Anybody who made eye contact with them would quickly lower their heads and dare not make any mistakes afterward.

Meanwhile, Hua Qing Si, Bian Yu Qing, Ye Hen, and Nanmen Da Jun had gathered together with the contingent from Ice Heart Valley. Ice Heart Valley had sent five Emperor Realm Masters in total, with Ji Yao leading the team with a frosty expression, preventing anyone from approaching too close. The people from Dragon Palace and Full Sky Sect had also gathered here, so aside from the few Emperor Realm Masters left behind to guard their Sects, the rest had all assembled here. Li Jiao and Mi Qi were also talking amongst themselves, both at a loss, not knowing what Yang Kai was up to this time.

Chapter 3258

Amidst the quiet whispering, a brilliant light flashed from the Space Array to reveal Yang Kai’s figure. Everybody turned to look at him, some of them having solemn expressions while others were filled with doubt. Not everybody had seen Yang Kai before after all, they only knew that he was the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace. Those that knew what he looked like naturally had solemn expressions. On the other hand, those who did not know could sense that this young man was very imposing, not one to be trifled with.

“Greetings, Palace Master Yang,” A sparse smattering of voices rang out. Only then did the Emperor Realm Masters meeting him for the first time confirm who he was and hurriedly cupped their fists in greeting.

“Palace Master.” Hua Qing Si stepped forward.

Meanwhile, Yang Kai glanced around with a harsh and penetrating gaze. Seeing that there were quite a lot of people, he seemed satisfied and his expression softened significantly before he asked, “Is everyone here?”

Hua Qing Si replied, “Those that could arrive within half a day have more or less arrived. Only the people from Dragon Tiger Sect and Profound Cloud Pavilion have not arrived yet.”

There were only slightly more than 200 Emperor Realm Masters gathered inside this hall, and there were definitely far more Emperor Realm Masters across the entire Northern Territory than those present. However, Yang Kai had given them a deadline of half a day. For that reason, Hua Qing Si had only sent out selected notifications. Those who obviously could not make it to High Heaven Palace within half a day had been left out.

Even gathering this much manpower was only possible thanks to the numerous Space Arrays that Yang Kai had arranged across the entire Northern Territory, all of which connected directly to High Heaven Palace. If not for those Space Arrays, not even a quarter of this number would have made it here by now. It was only by relying on teleportation via those Space Arrays that they could gather more than two hundred Emperor Realm Masters within half a day.

“Dragon Tiger Sect and Profound Cloud Pavilion…” Yang Kai nodded indifferently before he waved his hand dismissively, “Those that haven’t appeared don’t need to appear ever again.”

His tone was calm and indifferent, without even the slightest hint of malice in it; nevertheless, all the Emperor Realm Masters present could sense a feeling of animosity behind them and secretly sighed to themselves. [These two Sects will no longer be able to gain a foothold in the Northern Territory. They might even be eradicated by this madman…] 

They couldn’t help grieving for those two Sects and seething with a trace of hatred towards Yang Kai for his oppressive actions at the same time.

A Sect that emerged less than thirty years ago currently held control over the futures of all the cultivators in the Northern Territory, as well as the rise and fall of the various Sects. Nobody would believe it even if word got out about this. Unfortunately, there was nothing that they could do; the other party was extremely powerful. The annihilation of Seeking Passion Sect was evidence of what the other party was capable of. Therefore, they didn’t dare to express discontent despite the resentment and anger in their hearts.

“Everyone, I’m sure you must be wondering why I summoned you to High Heaven Palace today. I will now tell you why. Firstly, it is to rescue people, and secondly, it is to kill!”

A middle-aged man cupped his fists and asked, “Palace Master Yang, who do you want us to rescue and who do you want us to kill?” With so many Masters gathered together, it could not be a small matter. Practically a fifth of the combat power in the Northern Territory had been gathered in this place, so he could not imagine what kind of situation would require gathering this much strength. Even the top four Sects had practically emptied their headquarters for this undertaking.

Yang Kai glanced over at this man. He did not know which Sect’s Sect Master he was, but despite only being a First-Order Emperor, he had a righteous air about him and met Yang Kai’s gaze without flinching. 

Yang Kai nodded lightly and explained, “The people we are rescuing are the cultivators of the Southern Territory. Like everyone here, they are the Masters of the major Sects and clans.”

“Cultivators of the Southern Territory!?” The inside of the hall exploded in a clamour of voices. They could never have expected that what was happening today would involve the Southern Territory. This was the Northern Territory after all and there was an enormous distance separating the two territories. As the saying went, ‘Distant water could not quench an immediate thirst’. They were too far away to provide timely aid during a crisis, so why did Palace Master Yang muster the forces of the Northern Territory if he wanted to rescue the people from the Southern Territory?

Something else concerned them even more though, and that was what happened to the Masters in the Southern Territory that would require so many people to rescue them? Although they didn’t live in the same Territory, they were all Masters and couldn’t possibly be weak. There were undoubtedly many Emperors in the Southern Territory, and if even those Masters could not solve this problem, then what could we do even if they could travel there?

“The ones we are going to kill are Demons!” Yang Kai shouted, suppressing the clamour of discussion.

The entire great hall fell silent in an instant as everyone stared at him with wide eyes. Even Ji Yao’s expression, which was generally cold and indifferent slightly changed.

Yang Kai couldn’t care less about what they were thinking at that moment as he continued on, “Hundreds of Emperor Realm Masters in the Southern Territory have been caught in a trap set up by people who underwent demonification. They are currently trapped inside Orthodoxy Temple with no way to escape. They may be infected by Demon Qi at any time and are in danger of falling prey to demonification themselves. Right now, their only hope of salvation is us. That is why I need all of your help to breach the Sect Defending Array of Orthodoxy Temple, kill the Demons, and rescue everyone from the Southern Territory.”

The words he spoke sounded unbelievably far-fetched, so much so that everybody was left reeling in shock and instinctively thought that he was joking. For one, who could know about what was happening in a place as far away as the Southern Territory? 

Yet, Yang Kai’s words were filled with certainty. The existence of something like Demons was too difficult to even conceptualize, and while it was rumoured that someone infected by Demon Qi would succumb to becoming a Demon themselves, where would so much Demon Qi even come from in the first place?

“That is the situation. I don’t care whether you believe me or not. It doesn’t matter anyway. You will understand the truth once you arrive. During this mission to the Southern Territory, however, you must keep one thing in mind. Protect yourselves well; do not allow yourself to be contaminated with Demon Qi. More importantly, you need to be on guard against Demon Spirit possession. If the former situation appears, this King may still have a chance to save you. But, if it’s the latter… that will be your fate. Depart!”

Hua Qing Si was stunned for a moment but quickly came to her senses and immediately began leading the gathered Emperor Realm Masters onto the Space Array. The Space Array in High Heaven Palace was quite large and could transport twenty to thirty people at once, and with Yang Kai here, there was no need to power the Space Array with Source Crystals. He only needed to manipulate his Space Principles to activate the Space Array.

Following the flashes of light, group after group of people disappeared. Regardless of what they were thinking inside, they were sensible enough not to raise any objections here and simply followed the instructions given to them docilely.

A plain-looking woman and an elderly man stood together somewhere in the crowd. Both of them were Second-Order Emperors, and there were both Sect Masters of first-class Sects in the Northern Territory, which were only marginally weaker than the top four Sects including High Heaven Palace and Ice Heart Valley. The only difference between them was the lack of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master and having a smaller number of Emperors in their Sects. Aside from that, their heritage was nothing to laugh at. The two of them stood together, secretly communicating with each other via Divine Sense transmission.

The woman commented first, “High Heaven Palace is too much. First, we were told to rush here within half a day, then this boy didn’t even ask whether we agreed to this undertaking or not before demanding we risk our lives fighting against Demons just like that. How can such a thing be permitted!?”

The elderly man nodded, “En, it is indeed going too far.”

Just recently, all of them had been forced to submit before the strength and prestige of High Heaven Palace, so they already held grievances in their hearts. And now, they were suddenly dragged into battle against Demons to rescue a group of Emperor Realm Masters from the Southern Territory that they didn’t even know. It was inevitable that the resentment in their hearts considerably deepened.

The woman continued, “Does he really think that the Northern Territory belongs to High Heaven Palace now? If things are like this now, what will our futures be like?”

The elderly man smiled bitterly, “Life will become difficult. What else?”

The woman glanced sideways at him, “Do you plan to keep being suppressed with no power to resist like this?”

The elderly man was shocked, “Resist!? How do you plan to resist!? I advise you not to have any unnecessary thoughts. The heritage of High Heaven Palace is standing right in front of your eyes. Do you see those three Monster Race Masters? They’re all Monster Kings, each one as strong as a Third-Order Emperor. How can we match up to them?”

The woman coldly snorted, “A just cause will gain public support, but an unjust cause cannot. High Heaven Palace terrorized the entire Northern Territory this time around, so which Sect doesn’t hold some resentment towards them? Besides, who would willingly allow others to control them? If all the major Sects in the Northern Territory join forces and work together, what will happen to High Heaven Palace then?”

The elderly man thoughtfully said, “You want to recruit others…”

The woman explained, “That’s the only thing we can do for the sake of our futures. If High Heaven Palace knows what’s good for them, they will back down. Even if they refuse to accept reality, can they really fight back against the entire Northern Territory? It’s impossible even with the help of the other three top Sects. The key point is whether the hearts of the people can be united.”

The elderly man nodded lightly, “After this incident, I have the feeling that everybody will feel a sense of crisis and gain an awareness of how dire our situation is. They probably won’t let a chance to fight back slip through their fingers; after all, the knowledge that their lives and their freedom are lying in the hands of somebody else will make them very uneasy.”

“We should go around after this incident to gauge the willingness of the others. If the opportunity exists, it won’t be too late for an in-depth discussion into the matter.”

“Good. Let’s not talk about this anymore for now. It’s our turn, and we don’t even know where we are being sent.”

The woman and the elderly man mounted the Space Array with a few other Emperor Realm Masters and soon they were enveloped by a flash of light and a wave of dizziness washed over them. It felt like their entire being was passing through the endless Void. Despite how strong the two of them were, they were left with stars floating in front of their eyes and their Knowledge Seas had become somewhat choppy.

When they finally recovered from the dizziness, an uncomfortable feeling spread out throughout their bodies. There was a feeling of solid ground beneath their feet. The woman’s complexion was a little pale, and her footsteps were a little unsteady, but she still clearly heard a shout entering her ears, “Don’t just stand there blocking the way! Hurry up and get down! There are more people coming from behind.”

Before checking who was talking to her, she hurriedly stepped aside while circulating her Secret Art to relieve the uncomfortable feeling in her head. However, the expression on her face was filled with doubt.

It wasn’t as if she had never used a Space Array before; after all, she had arrived at High Heaven Palace today via teleportation through their Space Array. She also used this network to travel around in the Northern Territory before on multiple occasions; however, not once had she felt this kind of dizziness. It was her first time experiencing this kind of sensation. Logically speaking, that shouldn’t be possible. She was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, so how could she fail to withstand the backlash of a single teleportation?

When her vision finally cleared up and she looked around, she was greeted by the sight of many familiar and unfamiliar faces that were all somewhat pale at the moment. They had apprehensive expressions and were clearly feeling rather uncomfortable. The elderly man was also standing beside her, and when their eyes met, they both looked at each other in confusion.

At that moment, a soft whisper came from the side. The voice was not loud, but everybody here was in the Emperor Realm, so who among them didn’t have excellent hearing? Both the woman and the elderly man were shocked when they heard this voice and together with many others exclaimed in astonishment, “The Southern Territory!?”

[That’s impossible, right!? Is this really the Southern Territory!? We were just in High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory a moment ago! How did we arrive in the Southern Territory in the blink of an eye!?] Their first reaction was disbelief; however, an investigation of their surroundings with their Divine Sense revealed that the topography and climate in this place were hugely different from the Northern Territory. It seemed that they were truly in the Southern Territory.

Thinking back on the feeling they experienced during the teleportation just now and the records they had seen in ancient books, a sudden realization flashed across their minds. A thought that they could barely believe came to them as they all turned to look at the Space Array in unison, a scorching gaze burning in their eyes. 

[A Cross-Territory Space Array!]

Chapter 3259

It was not impossible for them to travel from the Northern Territory to the Southern Territory in an instant. It could be done with a Cross-Territory Space Array, but such a thing was extremely rare in the entire Star Boundary. Only a few Great Emperor Sects possessed such Space Arrays and all of them were inheritances that came from ancient times. Nobody knew if they could even still be used.

It was something the woman and the elderly man had never thought of before, but listening to the whisperings around them finally woke them up to the fact. 

[Did we just use a Cross-Territory Space Array?] The more they thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Only by using a Cross-Territory Space Array could they suffer from such strong teleportation backlash; after all, they had crossed a distance of tens or even hundreds of millions of kilometres in an instant. It was incomparable to the teleportations that they had experienced previously.

Where did High Heaven Palace get their hands on a Cross-Territory Space Array? High Heaven Palace was currently occupying the former site of the Seeking Passion Sect, and most of the Emperor Realm Masters in the Northern Territory had been to the Seeking Passion Sect at least once in their lifetime. They had a thorough understanding of Seeking Passion Sect’s heritage and were keenly aware that Seeking Passion Sect could not have owned a Cross-Territory Space Array.

It had long been rumoured that Yang Kai, the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace was proficient in the Dao of Space, so could it be that he is even capable of arranging a Cross-Territory Space Array!? If that is the case, then it is a huge deal!

The woman and the elderly man looked at each other, seeing the shock in each other’s eyes. The whispers surrounding them became louder and louder, and the frequency of the words ‘Southern Territory’ seem to increase as well. Some people sounded like they couldn’t believe it while others reacted like these two and stared at the Space Array on the ground with burning gazes.

If this was truly a Cross-Territory Space Array, then it was a huge treasure. Just like how Yang Kai saw the benefits in the circulation of materials between the two Territories, these old foxes could see them too. Any Sect could make a fortune just by having a Space Array that connected the Northern Territory and the Southern Territory

Just to be on the cautious side, the woman wanted to find somebody from High Heaven Palace to inquire about the matter; however, she froze mid-motion when her gaze swept over her surroundings.

The elderly man had yet to recover from the shock of being transported via this Space Array and arriving in the Southern Territory in an instant, but when he saw her expression, he couldn’t help being taken aback as he sent her a Divine Sense transmission, “What’s wrong?”

The woman did not respond, she simply continued to stare in a certain direction. Puzzled, the elderly man followed her gaze and was instantly stunned. There were nine Stone Men who were tens of metres tall standing there. They had angular bodies and all of them were so imposing that just looking at them gave people a strong visual impact. The bodies that seemed to be formed from piling a bunch of stones together were full of indescribable power. Nobody dared to doubt their combat prowess.

[I-I-Isn’t that the legendary Stone Spirit Clan!? Weren’t they said to be extinct!? Why are there so many of them here!?] It would have been one thing if that were all, but standing opposite the Stone Spirits were a number of equally imposing figures. There were not many of them, only about thirty or so, but be that as it may, the Monster Qi coming from each individual figure was overwhelmingly powerful and extremely terrifying.

The woman and the elderly man had been so fixated on the shocking existence of the Cross-Territory Space Array that they had failed to notice this shocking Monster Qi until now, but when they studied these figures carefully, their expressions changed drastically. These members of the Monster Race were all Monster Kings. None of the people here was a match for them.

The woman and the elderly man watched as the three Monster Kings from High Heaven Palace mingled with these other members of the Monster Race, laughing and chatting with each other. A careful count indicated that there were a total of thirty-two of them…

In other words, there were thirty-two Monster Kings in this place! What kind of force was this!? It should be said that most of the so-called top Sects only had one Third-Order Emperor Realm Master each. For example, Fire Dragon Palace only had Li Jiao; Full Sky Sect only had Mi Qi; Ice Heart Valley only had Bing Yun; and even Seeking Passion Sect only had two just before its destruction.

Faced with such a comparison, the strength represented by these thirty-two Monster Kings was extremely terrifying. To put it bluntly, the two hundred Emperor Realm Masters from the Northern Territory gathered here probably couldn’t defeat this group of Monster Kings even if they all fought together. The only way they might stand a chance against the Monster Kings was if they actually coordinated and cooperated with each other perfectly.

[Are they also part of the reinforcement that the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace recruited? Where did a group of Monster Kings like them pop out from? Why were we completely unaware of the existence of these Monster Kings before?]

*Gudong…* 

There were various gulping sounds as people swallowed nervously. Everybody’s attention had finally shifted from the Cross-Territory Space Array to these Monster Kings.

The Monster Kings obviously felt the sudden attention on them too and many of them teasingly grinned back. The Monster Qi radiating from them became even more terrifying than before, completely terrifying many of the Emperor Realm Masters from the Northern Territory. They were afraid that the Monster Kings might suddenly go on a rampage and massacre them.

The woman suddenly remembered a rumour she heard in the past and her pupils contracted as she adjusted her focus to two men and a single woman standing in front of the thirty-two Monster Kings, secretly sending a Divine Sense transmission to the elderly man, “Thirty-two Monster Kings. Doesn’t that number remind you of anything?”

“Remind me of what?” The elderly man responded subconsciously.

“I heard that in the Eastern Territory, there is a place known as the Ancient Wild Lands which retains its ancient wild aura unchanged from hundreds of thousands of years ago. Ruling that land are Four Great Divine Venerables, each with eight powerful Monster Kings under their command…”

The elderly man felt his mind going blank, “The Four Great Divine Venerables, each with eight powerful Monster Kings under their command?” [Aren’t there exactly thirty-two of them here right now?] He had heard of this rumour before too, nevertheless, a rumour was just a rumour and nobody would dare to believe that rumour unless they personally saw proof. There were supposedly thirty-two Monster Kings in the Ancient Wild Lands, and there just happened to be thirty-two Monster Kings here too.

The elderly man paled visibly as he muttered, “Are you saying that they are from the Ancient Wild Lands? But, that’s in the Eastern Territory…”

She rebuked, “So what if it’s located in the Eastern Territory? We just came from the Northern Territory ourselves! So that’s how it is. It turns out that the three Monster Kings from High Heaven Palace are from the Ancient Wild Lands!”

The existence of Ying Fei, Xie Wu Wei, and Xi Lei was not a secret, it was just that nobody in the Northern Territory could not figure out where Yang Kai managed to find and recruit three Monster Kings, who he then placed in High Heaven Palace as guards. It wasn’t until this moment that they finally found the answer to this question that had puzzled them all for such a long time.

“That makes sense. Those Stone Spirits, which are rumoured to have gone extinct, probably came from the Ancient Wild Lands too.” The elderly man gently nodded before he suddenly felt his breath catch in his throat and he tremblingly asked, “If those Stone Spirits and the Monster Kings are from the Ancient Wild Lands, then… who are those three standing in front of them?”

The woman turned her head stiffly to look at him. She had already considered that question a long time ago, and at this moment, she slowly uttered two words, stressing each word carefully, “Divine… Spirits!”

The elderly man immediately lowered his head, considered it for a while, and replied, “I think that what we talked about earlier was extremely ill-considered. We need to put more thought into it before making a decision.”

They originally wanted to contact all the other Emperor Realm Masters in the Northern Territory to rebel against High Heaven Palace after this incident; however, they were now witnessing first-hand the powerful forces that Yang Kai could casually bring out at any moment. There were Stone Spirits, Monster Kings, and even Divine Spirits willing to answer his call, so who would dare to oppose him?

These Masters might all live in the Eastern Territory, but with the existence of the Cross-Territory Space Array, travelling from the Eastern Territory to the Northern Territory was as easy as taking a stroll. For them to appear here at this moment could only mean that there was another Cross-Territory Space Array in the Eastern Territory. If they provoked High Heaven Palace and caused this group of Monsters to march into the Northern Territory, they would still be no match even if they rallied every Sect in the Northern Territory together, and that was not even taking into consideration a lack of unity among them at that point.

The woman nodded with deep approval, “Actually, it’s not that bad to have a leader in the Northern Territory. It’s better than having us scattered about, unable to coordinate with one another.”

Those words were probably only to comfort herself.

More than two hundred Emperor Realm Masters from the Northern Territory were gathered here; moreover, they were all worldly people, so if this woman and the elderly man could guess the origins of the Stone Spirits and the Monster King, it was reasonable to assume that the others could too.

Seeing so many Monster Kings and even Divine Spirits waiting around obediently, how could they dare to have any complaints? They quietly looked down at their feet and dutifully waited by the side. There was no need for other people to see how shocked they were.

Mi Qi and Li Jiao were standing together and many expressions flashed across the former’s face. He was secretly thanking his lucky stars he had not completely fallen out with High Heaven Palace back then. If not, there wouldn’t even be ashes left of Full Sky Sect. Even he might have died without knowing how!

On the other hand, Li Jiao was perfectly calm and composed. He had raised a ruckus on Dragon Island with Yang Kai before, after all. Besides, he also knew about the intimate relationship Yang Kai had with a Dragon Girl. Although he was a little surprised by Yang Kai’s methods and prestige, he was considerably calmer than the rest. He even had an inexplicable sense of superiority. [If Yang Kai had called upon the Dragon Clan from Dragon Island, then that would truly be exciting.]

Unfortunately, he had no idea what stance Dragon Island had taken with Yang Kai at the moment. It stood to reason that Yang Kai was probably Dragon Island’s greatest enemy after he caused such a big mess back then. But, the crux of the matter was that Yang Kai was now married to a Dragon Girl.

While everybody was still reeling from shock, Yang Kai led the last batch of people and appeared on the Space Array. All attention instantly focused on him as he swept his gaze over the crowd and loudly announced, “This is the Southern Territory. Orthodoxy Temple is located not far away. Moments from now, I must ask all of you to work together to aid me in the rescue efforts while preventing the Demons from escaping. Firstly, you must protect yourselves well. Don’t let yourselves be corrupted by Demon Qi. Secondly, capture those who have been affected by the Demon Qi. Try not to kill them if you can and keep the killings as minimal as possible.”

“We can’t just kill them?” The crowd was in an uproar.

Even Fan Wu frowned and asked, “Why spare their lives if they have already been demonified?” If they were not allowed to kill, then their only option was to capture the enemy alive. Everyone here might be rather powerful, but capturing an enemy alive was far more troublesome than killing them. What’s more; what was the point of capturing these people? It was easy to be demonified, but it was hard to cure. In his opinion, there was no need to spare their lives anymore if they were already corrupted by the Demon Qi.

“I have my reasons. Of course, if there’s no other choice, I would rather you kill them than to let a single Demon escape from this place,” Yang Kai said with a solemn expression, “Do you understand?”

“Understood!” Over 200 Emperor Realm Masters from the Northern Territory shouted together. Nobody dared show any disrespect anymore; after all, there was a group of Monster Kings and three possible Divine Spirits eying them dangerously at this very moment.

“For now, please surround Orthodoxy Temple and act according to my orders!” With a wave of his hand, he took the lead and headed in the direction of Orthodoxy Temple, “Let’s go!”

The group of people followed closely behind him and a short time later, an almost imperceptible curtain of light appeared in their field of vision. It was the Sect Defending Array of Orthodoxy Temple. Everybody was secretly surprised to see the state of the Spirit Array. It was only a glimpse, but this Spirit Array was part of the heritage of a top Sect.

As they approached the Sect Defending Array, Yang Kai gestured to the left and the right with his hands and the two hundred Emperors immediately split into two groups, flying out in an orderly fashion around the light curtain. A person would stop and take up a position at fixed intervals. In this way, they completely surrounded Orthodoxy Temple in less than a quarter of an hour.

Chapter 3260

Inside Orthodoxy Temple, Lei Gu, who was wrapped in Demon Qi, received the news at the exact moment Yang Kai and the others made their move. Turning his head, he glared at the Demon standing next to him and asked, “Are you certain?”

The Demon bowed, “Sir, there is no mistake. There are over two hundred people, each of them in the Emperor Realm.” This Demon was dressed in the attire of someone belonging to Orthodoxy Temple; moreover, he was a First-Order Emperor. He was most likely one of the Elders of Orthodoxy Temple, but it was clear that he was currently being possessed by a Demon Spirit.

Lei Gu’s eyes flashed as he frowned and muttered, “How is that possible?”

The trap he laid in the Southern Territory had been prepared meticulously and executed precisely. He had taken advantage of the Martial Gathering to secretly plot against hundreds of Emperor Realm Masters and tens of thousands of elite disciples. He had been confident that it was foolproof, but contrary to his expectations, a crack appeared in his plan in the form of Yang Kai at the very last moment.

Lei Gu never imagined that Yang Kai, who had been missing for more than ten years, would suddenly appear to participate in the Southern Territory Martial Gathering. That was why he arranged for Yang Kai to be lured away and secretly assassinated, but who could have known that even ‘that’ person would fail at this mission? It frustrated Lei Gu to no end. Only now did he learn how adept a person proficient in the Dao of Space was at escaping and surviving; however, only a day had passed, so where did that bastard find so many powerful reinforcements!?

Unfortunately, the Demon subordinate sounded so confident that Lei Gu had no choice but to believe his words. To be on the safe side though, Lei Gu decided to take a look in person. After giving instructions to the other Demon, Lei Gu flew out to the main gate, and looking out into the distance, his expression turned grim.

Sure enough; Yang Kai, who had left less than a day ago, had returned. Moreover, he brought a lot of reinforcements with him. In addition to Shi Huo, who had remained in this place to monitor the situation, there were nine more Stone Men and hundreds of Emperor Realm Masters and Monster Race Masters gathered around Yang Kai.

Lei Gu looked to the left and then to the right. There were people standing in the air at fixed intervals outside the Sect Defending Array of Orthodoxy Temple, and when they noticed his arrival, they all looked over in his direction.

[They really are Emperor Realm Masters… And there are so many of them too!] Although Lei Gu was not sure how many people Yang Kai brought in total, it seemed that the report by that Demon earlier was fairly accurate.

[Where did he find so many Emperor Realm Masters? Only one day has passed! Even if he went to all the major Sects in the Southern Territory without rest and reported this news to them, it would still be impossible to muster up so many reinforcements in such a short period of time!] Lei Gu’s expression twisted into a grimace. He had the nagging feeling that the situation was about to turn against him. If the plan this time failed, it would definitely be because of Yang Kai. A great hatred welled up in Lei Gu’s heart. After so many years of planning, everything was about to fail because of one person, so how could Lei Gu not be vexed?

“It’s true. He’s been demonified,” Ji Yao stood beside Yang Kai and commented. When she saw Lei Gu, she couldn’t help feeling a little surprised as she stared at him carefully. It was her first time seeing Demon Qi or a cultivator who had undergone demonification. Even though she was only seeing it for the first time, that black Qi surrounding Lei Gu’s body gave her an extremely uncomfortable feeling. It was a kind of rejection that came directly from the depths of her soul. [Is that the Demon Qi? How abominable.]

“Lei Gu, today you die!” Yang Kai shouted through gritted teeth. Meeting his enemy left him feeling incredibly livid.

Lei Gu looked grim but did not make any kind of reply; instead, he turned around and left. He had no intention of saying a single word to Yang Kai. The only reason he came here was to see if the report he received was accurate, and since he had confirmed it was, there was no need to stay any longer.

Yang Kai was slightly surprised when he realized Lei Gu had decided to perish here as well before he immediately raised his voice and shouted, “Temple Master, are you there?”

Yang Kai’s voice, which was supported by his Emperor Qi, sounded like the rumbling thunder and transmitted into the depths of the Orthodoxy Temple easily.

A hearty laughter immediately came from inside along with a shout, “I’m not dead yet!”

“Temple Master, hold on a bit longer. I’ll rescue you soon,” Yang Kai shouted again.

Wen Zi Shan’s voice rang out, “Good!”

Although he did not know what the situation was like on the outside, Yang Kai must have brought back reinforcements since he had returned after leaving. All their hopes of being rescued lay on Yang Kai’s shoulders, so they could only choose to trust him unconditionally.

“Little Brat, hurry up! Your Temple Master is going to become a Demon if you waste any more time!” Ma Qing’s frustrated voice also rang out.

Wen Zi Shan snapped, “Nonsense! You’re the one who is going to be demonified!”

Yang Kai grinned at those words. [This is good. If they can still quarrel, then it means that the situation inside has not yet become dire.]

Collecting himself, Yang Kai lifted one hand up high and his voice sounded in all directions, “Everyone, prepare yourselves!”

A loud clanging sound rang out as swords were unsheathed and countless Emperor Artifacts were summoned. Monster Qi and Emperor Qi surged up and condensed.

The hand Yang Kai held up in the air was brought down in one swift motion while he shouted, “Attack!”

The moment the word left his mouth, a pitch-black Moon Blade slashed forward and struck the surface of Orthodoxy Temple’s Sect Defending Array. A crackling sound rang out where the blade struck against the light curtain, and a slight dent was formed. Countless ripples spread out from where the curtain of light sunk inward. 

In the next moment, hundreds of attacks of various shapes, sizes, and colours blasted at the Sect Defending Array from all directions, causing the light curtain to sway and flicker. For a moment, the sky went dark, and the surrounding World Energy became chaotic as various Principles intertwined like a great storm.

Before the surface of the Sect Defending Array could be stabilized, it flickered unsteadily from the continuous rain of attacks. It looked like it was about to collapse at any moment, but contrary to expectations, the light curtain managed to resist the initial barrage of attacks and did not immediately shatter.

The Sect Defending Array of Orthodoxy Temple was truly extraordinary. If somebody was presiding over the Spirit Array, they might be able to repair it quickly; however, the Spirit Array was relying on its own defensive capabilities at the moment. It didn’t even have a host. For that reason, the self-repair effects were minimal.

It wasn’t that Lei Gu was unwilling to remain here and preside over the Spirit Array, it was just that he knew that the tides had turned against him. With so many Masters working together, the Spirit Array would not last any longer even if he was supporting it. Rather than wasting his time here, it was better to do something useful instead. Who knows? There might still be a chance of turning things around.

The first wave of attacks had just ended when the second wave of attacks began. Moreover, it was even fiercer than the previous round. The entire world dimmed as the Heavens and Earth seemed to invert. An indescribable sense of enthusiasm surged up in the hearts of these Emperor Realm Masters. There had never been an instance where so many Masters worked together before, so the prestige alone was terrifying in and of itself. As part of this historic moment, the reinforcements brought by Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment.

A rumbling sound rang out before the Spirit Array collapsed. The curtain of light that had been protecting Orthodoxy Temple for thousands of years burst apart like a soap bubble that had been popped.

“Charge!” Yang Kai roared as he raced to be the first to rush inside.

Following closely behind him was Ji Yao. Her figure was ethereal; however, she turned her head to look to the side as she rushed into Orthodoxy Temple. The corpse of a woman was sprawled across a small slope there. That woman had a curvaceous body and beautiful looks, but unfortunately, she had died with her eyes wide open.

Ji Yao did not know who this woman was or how she was related to Yang Kai; however, Ji Yao clearly noticed him glance in this fallen woman’s direction for a moment, and a look of pain had flashed across his eyes when he saw her corpse. Ji Yao’s eyes flashed slightly as she pointed a finger out. A snowflake floated from her fingertip and landed lightly on the woman’s corpse. The snowflake did not melt, however, and instead released an extremely cold energy, sealing that woman’s corpse in a block of ice in the blink of an eye.

A group of Demons wrapped in black Qi came rushing towards the charging Masters suddenly, every one of them wearing a wooden expression, seeming as though they had no sentience. They were no different from walking corpses that were dressed in different attires, but they were clearly disciples of various major Sects in the Southern Territory. Waving the weapons in their hands, they fearlessly rushed at the Emperors and Monster Kings.

Yang Kai was the first to reach the line of battle. His figure shifted erratically, passing the Demons one by one, reaching out and lightly striking them in the back of their necks as he flew by. A group of Demons instantly fell out of the sky like dumplings and crashed into the woods below. He did not kill them as he knew that these people were infected by Demon Qi and had undergone demonification which, while incurable for most, was not for him. If a massacre were to take place here, the Southern Territory would surely suffer severe damage to its foundation. Be that as it may, Yang Kai had no time to look after these disciples one by one, so he could only knock them out as quickly as possible. Fortunately, they were not flying too high. Falling from this high would not be deadly. Not to mention, there were trees below to break their fall.

The people following Yang Kai imitated his actions. While using their Emperor Qi to protect themselves and prevent the Demon Qi from invading them easily, they knocked out the enemies in front of them in rapid succession.

The Demons that were rushing at them were all below the Emperor Realm, so there was no way they could pose any real threat. Even if these Demons did not fear death after their demonification, they were still no match against Emperor Realm Masters in a fight. One by one, the Demons fell unconscious and crashed to the ground. It was quite a sight to behold.

Even so, there were too many Demons. A rough estimation showed that there were at least a thousand of them. This was still only in the direction of the gates. If all the Demons from other parts of Orthodoxy Temple were included in the count, Yang Kai estimated that the number of disciples from the Southern Territory that had been demonized in this one day had reached tens of thousands.

More than ten people, with Yang Kai in the lead, plunged into the ranks of the people who had undergone demonization like a sharp knife, leaving a path of bodies behind them wherever they went.

“This is too easy!” One of the Elders of Full Sky Sect in the First-Order Emperor Realm laughed loudly. [Yang Kai gathered so many Masters together and made things seem so grand and dangerous that I couldn’t help feeling nervous at first. I thought that these Demons would be something terrible, but after fighting against them, it’s clear they’re nothing special. It seems that strength is the root of everything, whether they be Demons or not.]

He was not the only one who had this kind of mindset as most of the reinforcements who came into contact with the Demons for the first time were thinking similar thoughts.

The Demon Qi coming from the bodies of those Demons was indeed strange, possessing a strong corrosive aura filled with malice and madness; however, these people were protected by their Emperor Qi. Furthermore, many of them had donned Artifact Armour. They had nothing to fear against that flimsy Demon Qi.

The liberators progressed forward smoothly like they were chopping melons and slicing vegetables. Although these ten or so people were surrounded by thousands of enemies, they were talking and laughing as usual while manoeuvring through the crowd. The Demons might have been numerous, but with the power of these ten or so people, they could probably knock out all these Demons within a quarter-hour. If they regrouped with the others after that, they would be able to head straight to the depths of the Orthodoxy Temple and Lei Gu would have no place to escape to.

Unexpectedly though, many of the Demons suddenly flushed bright red and swelled up like they were balloons. Their stomachs expanded like they were ten months into a pregnancy and torturous and pained voices sounded of their throats. The Demon Qi in their bodies also began to fluctuate wildly.

The sudden change shocked many, and their movements slowed down considerably. Nevertheless, they all felt an imperceptible sense of crisis looming over them.

“Be careful!” Yang Kai’s expression changed, grabbing one of the Demons that was experiencing these changes as he shouted, trying to knock them unconscious. However, the Demon’s eyes bulged as he glared straight at him, its swelling body showing no signs of stopping whatsoever.

Chapter 3261

Following a loud bang, the Demon exploded. Although there were no bones nor body left after the explosion, flesh and blood did not splatter all over the place. More importantly though, a cloud of pitch-black Demon Qi was released and wrapped around Yang Kai with a whooshing sound.

*Hong hong hong…*

Explosion after explosion rang out as the Demons self-destructed, one after another. Yang Kai’s heart sank upon hearing those explosions.

Clouds of Demon Qi that were as dense as blood appeared following the self-destruction. Across the sky above Orthodoxy Temple, the cultivators who were clashing against the Demons were instantly engulfed. It was as if a field of black mushrooms had suddenly sprouted, covering a vast area in the blink of an eye and forming an enormous black cloud that spread over more than a dozen kilometre radius.

The dozen or so Emperor Realm Masters following closely behind Yang Kai were caught off guard and, as a result, they were caught in the black cloud. Even Yang Kai was not spared.

The expressions of those people, who had been talking and laughing just now, changed drastically in an instant. The seemingly flimsy Demon Qi that they had been looking down on suddenly became thousands of times denser than before and its corruptive power increased accordingly.

Sizzling sounds could be heard everywhere. It was the sound of the Demon Qi eroding the protective layer of Emperor Qi surrounding their bodies. Despite the strength of the Emperor Realm Masters here, they could all feel their Emperor Qi was beginning to crumble under the erosion. Holes began appearing in their defences in a very short span of time, causing many to cry out in panic.

There was no need for anybody to say anything. The dozen or so people moved without any hesitation, desperately escaping outward. When they emerged from within the black cloud and looked back, their expressions were filled with lingering fear. They never expected the Demons to self-destruct, nor for their self-destruction to be so terrifying.

Meanwhile, Yang Kai’s expression was incredibly sombre. There had been thousands of Demons rushing at them just now; however, he and the others couldn’t have knocked out more than three hundred or four hundred in total. That meant that at least five to six hundred people had self-destructed in that moment just now. In other words, the Southern Territory had lost as many as six hundred elite disciples just in their direction. Similar situations no doubt must have occurred in all the other directions. The Southern Territory’s losses could only be described as heavy!

“Brother Chen, you…” A horrified voice sounded suddenly.

Yang Kai turned to look in that direction, and his eyes narrowed at the sight. A middle-aged man was standing there with a look of helplessness. The protective layer of Emperor Qi surrounding his body had collapsed, and his body was wrapped in traces of pitch-black Demon Qi. The Demon Qi was like a pack of snakes, entering his body through his pores and his seven orifices. It changed his aura in a very short period of time, and his eyes were showing signs of being covered in the black Qi.

Yang Kai had no idea who this person was; nevertheless, this man was one of the reinforcements that he recruited from the Northern Territory.

When the others standing next to this man noticed his situation, they looked extremely shocked and hurriedly put some distance between themselves, all staring at him vigilantly, for fear that he might start violently attacking them.

This man seemed a little dazed himself and lifted his hands out in front of him, staring at them blankly. Then, he lifted his head to look at Yang Kai and begged, “Palace Master Yang, save me!”

If he was completely taken over by the Demon Qi and lost his reasoning, then he would be no different from the Demons that had self-destructed just now. In that situation, his life and death would be out of his control. He wouldn’t even know if he suddenly self-destructed.

The moment those words left that man’s mouth, Yang Kai had already appeared in front of him. The aura around Yang Kai suddenly underwent a huge change and a strange chant left his lips. A moment later, a ray of light burst from Yang Kai’s hand and enveloped this man.

*Chi chi chi…*

It was as though the traces of black Qi had met their nemesis. When the light wrapped around that man, the black Qi flowed out of his pores and dissipated into nothingness. His chaotic consciousness also stabilized. He had the sense that he had just escaped the clutches of death; thus, he gratefully said, “Many thanks, Palace Master Yang.”

Although he did not know what strange method Yang Kai had used just now, he could clearly sense that the Demon Qi invading his body had been driven out.

“All of you, be more careful.” Yang Kai swept a cold gaze over these people. [He is an Emperor Realm Master, yet he nearly succumbed to the demonification just like that. What a fool.]

Yang Kai knew that it was not actually that difficult to guard against this kind of loose Demon Qi, this situation was the result of these people never having encountered Demons before. While the sudden self-destruct had played some role, it was mainly facing seemingly weaker opponents just now that had made these Masters lower their guard. Under normal circumstances, they would only need to maintain a strong protective layer of Emperor Qi around themselves at all times and such a situation would not have happened. 

If this wasn’t the case, how could Yang Kai have survived for so long under that monstrously powerful Demon Qi outside Maplewood City during the Demon Eye incident when he had only been a First-Order Dao Source Realm at the time? The Demon Qi might be very corrosive, but it was nothing as long as they protected themselves well and did not give the Demon Qi any opportunities to invade.

“Shamanic Spell!” A lurking black shadow hiding in the canopy of a large tree some distance away couldn’t help narrowing its eyes at this sight. The people around Yang Kai might not know what method he used to get rid of the Demon Qi, but this person was very familiar with it. That was a Shamanic Spell! Back in ancient times, the Demon Race had suffered great losses because of those Shamans. It was precisely because this figure was very familiar with that history that it was so shocked.

[Why are there people who know how to use Shamanic Spells in this era!? Moreover, he seems extremely proficient in Shamanic Spells from the way he cast that one just now. If not, he could not have casted the Demon Exorcism Technique so easily. But, how can this be!? People are the product of their time! Each era has its own distinctive Principles, and with the current Principles of this world, how can anybody successfully cultivate Shamanic Spells?]

Before this shadowy figure could finish that train of thought though, its vision blurred for a moment and a figure appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of it. It was so shocked that it immediately backed away without even thinking about it.

“Solidify!” A cold voice sounded in its ears, making it feel as though it had fallen into an ice chamber. It looked up and saw that Yang Kai, who had been several kilometres away just now, was standing directly in front of it. It didn’t even know when Yang Kai approached it. Following the word that Yang Kai uttered, the surrounding space became viscous and turned into an invisible cage that trapped it inside.

The figure struggled desperately, using all the strength it had to try to break free of these shackles. However, it felt as though it was trapped in a mire and the more it struggled, the more entangled it became.

“A Demon Spirit!” Yang Kai stared at the man’s pitch-black eyes and coldly snorted.

This person was obviously different from the Demons who had rushed at them just now. Although those Demons infected by Demon Qi had also been demonified, they lost their rationality and thinking abilities. In contrast, the man in front of Yang Kai was able to act autonomously. He had undoubtedly been possessed by a Demon Spirit, just like Lei Gu, and judging by the way he was dressed; he was probably one of the Elders of Orthodoxy Temple, signifying he was an Emperor Realm Master.

“Damn you!” He shouted through gritted teeth and his body abruptly began to swell. He was going to self-destruct without any warning! It was clear that he knew he was no match for Yang Kai, so he chose this path rather than being captured alive.

“You think you could self-destruct in front of me? Look into my eyes!” Yang Kai roared as his right eye suddenly turned into a golden shaft of light that pulsed with intense Spiritual Energy.

The Demon Spirit who was about to self-destruct suddenly froze. At the same time, his swollen body involuntarily shrank back to normal and before he could react, Yang Kai grabbed him by the neck and shoved him into the Small Sealed World to be suppressed in a certain corner of the world. Yang Kai did not kill because he still had many unanswered questions. He might be able to obtain some useful information if he left somebody alive to be questioned later. In addition, he wanted to see if he could rescue this person from a Demon Spirit’s possession just like how he saved those people who had been corrupted by Demon Qi.

Achieving his aim in one move, Yang Kai turned and looked back with a frown. The enormous black cloud in the sky was swirling non-stop. A moment later, hundreds of whirlpools materialized in the black cloud. The dense black Qi poured into those whirlpools and quickly disappeared.

Very quickly, the black cloud vanished without a trace and hundreds of figures with powerful Demon Qi reappeared. It was clear that they were part of those thousand or so Demons from before.

Among the Demons, five hundred to six hundred had self-destructed while three to four hundred had been knocked out by Yang Kai and the others while the remaining hundred or so had hidden inside the black cloud. It wasn’t until now that they revealed themselves. After devouring the Demon Qi formed from their companions who had self-destructed, each of these surviving Demons had grown far stronger than before. The aura they were emitting currently was not inferior to that of an Emperor Realm Master.

“What is this!?” An Elder of Full Sky Sect stared so hard that his eyeballs trembled in their sockets. His expression was filled with shock and horror. It wasn’t until this moment that he realized how ridiculous he had been to underestimate his enemies just now. The Emperor Realm Masters had looked down on the horde of around a thousand Demons earlier, but who could have imagined that those Demons could converge into a force that could rival them in strength? Fortunately, they soon realized that something was strange. Those hundred or so Demons might have grown exponentially in strength, but they simply stood there motionlessly like wooden pillars in the sky.

“Quickly knock them out!” Yang Kai shouted as he had a vague insight into the situation. It seemed that these Demons infected by Demon Qi did not have any ability to act independently. In that case, the reason they attacked just now was that they were being controlled by somebody, and the most likely candidate was the Elder of Orthodoxy Temple who had been possessed by a Demon Spirit. Since Yang Kai had captured the person controlling them though, those hundred or so Demons immediately became something akin to wooden puppets with cut strings.

When the dozen or so Emperor Realm Masters heard Yang Kai’s shout, they cautiously rushed towards the demonified people. Upon launching their attacks, they soon realized that these Demons showed no signs of resistance and were quite simple to take out.

Observing the situation, Yang Kai became more and more affirmed in his conjecture. The Demons that had been infected by Demon Qi had no sentience. It was just that he had no idea if this would always be the case or if it was because they had not been demonified for long enough.

Whatever the case may be, Yang Kai had no time to think about it right now. He flew straight up into the air and looked around. Orthodoxy Temple had been divided into more than twenty battlefields, and every one of them was caught up in a fierce battle.

The situation on his side was noticeably better as he had rescued that Emperor Realm Master of the Northern Territory from being corrupted by Demon Qi and prevented the Demon Transformation from taking place. Moreover, he had successfully captured the Elder of Orthodoxy Temple and caused the Demons here to lose their ability to move.

Unfortunately, the other battlefields were not doing as well. Yang Kai could clearly see that several Emperor Realm Masters from the Northern Territory had become demonified and turned their weapons on their companions. Those Emperor Realm Masters were currently fighting against their former friends and companions. Their companions were terrified but could only do their best to resist and deal with the situation. They couldn’t very well kill their former companions, so they were greatly restrained in terms of strength and tactics.

At the same time, the Demons that had been boosted in strength after devouring a large amount of Demon Qi suddenly rushed in fiercely without fear of death and fought brutally against the reinforcements in both the Northern and Eastern Territories.

Yang Kai’s gaze flashed as he looked down at a certain area and pushed his Divine Sense to send a transmission to the Stone Spirit Elder. Elder and the eight Stone Spirits had been pushing their way forward, leaving a bunch of defeated Demons in a terrible state in their wake. With their special constitution, they were completely unafraid of the Demon Qi. Since they had no need to worry about the dangers of demonification, and possessed incredible strength along with near invulnerability, ordinary Emperor Realm Masters were nothing in their eyes, much less mindless Demons. If not for the fact that they were afraid of using too much strength and did not dare to attack randomly, they would have killed the Demons and obtained a crushing victory by now.

Chapter 3262

When Elder received the Divine Sense transmission Yang Kai sent to him, his expression changed and he immediately instructed the other eight Stone Spirits in a soft voice. In the next moment, the nine members of the Stone Spirit Clan dispersed and headed in all directions.

An Elder of Orthodoxy Temple, who had been possessed by a Demon Spirit, stood atop a certain tree canopy. He carefully concealed his aura, hid his figure, and blended perfectly into his surrounding environment. Many people passed both above and below him, but nobody noticed his presence. He hid in this spot and watched the battlefield several kilometres away while controlling the hundreds of Demons that had been greatly boosted in strength to fight against more than a dozen Emperor Realm Masters.

At that moment, his vision darkened without warning as a large mountain stood in front of him and blocked the light coming from above. Surprised, he looked up only to see a Stone Spirit that was several tens of meters tall staring straight at him.

[I’ve been discovered! I can’t believe I was discovered! And by a Stone Spirit at that! Since when does a Stone Spirit have such keen senses!?] In his opinion, his concealment was perfect and it was impossible to discover him unless a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was deliberately searching for him.

Nevertheless, he immediately shrank back to retreat without any hesitation. At that moment, he felt something tightening around his leg which was followed by a pulling force. It felt like he had been caught by a large hand. He turned back to look in horror, revealing a look of disbelief on his face. The thing that was grabbing onto his ankle was not a large hand, but a vine.

His Demon Qi shot out and immediately turned that vine into dust; however, that momentary delay gave the Stone Spirit an opening to attack. A large fist came smashing towards him as though a meteor was falling from the sky. It landed squarely on his chest and in that instant, he felt as though he had been struck by lightning. The sound of bones breaking rang out and subsequently, his entire person collapsed to the ground like a ragged gunny sack. Before he touched the ground, fragments of his internal organs spurted out of his mouth and nose. Then, his neck tilted to the side and his aura disappeared completely.

Even though this person was possessed by a Demon Spirit, he was still just a First-Order Emperor. Each member of the Stone Spirit Clan was so powerful that even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would suffer heavy injuries if they took a direct hit from them, much less a mere First-Order Emperor. A single attack had immediately ended this man’s life.

After that, the Stone Spirit turned and ran off in another direction, a soft whispering voice coming from behind him. It was true that the Stone Spirits did not have keen vision or senses, but it was different when they had the guidance of the Wood Spirits. The Wood Spirit Clan and the Stone Spirit Clan complemented each other perfectly and would fight side-by-side in battle. Furthermore, the Wood Spirit Clan’s perception of plants was unparalleled. Those Demon Spirits who hid among the trees might be difficult to detect by most people, but the Wood Spirits simply needed to communicate with the surrounding forest to get a clear insight into where these Demon Spirits were hiding so they could accurately guide the Stone Spirits to their targets.

The nine Stone Spirits acted together to root out the Demon Spirits hiding in various locations throughout Orthodoxy Temple and either killed or severely injured them. Without the control of these Demon Spirits, the mindless Demons quickly lost their ability to fight. They simply stood there motionlessly, allowing others to knock them unconscious or fall out of the sky like raindrops.

Yang Kai monitored his surroundings with a cold look in his eyes and his gaze quickly fixed on a certain spot in a certain direction. That was the mountain valley where the Martial Gathering had been held. When he left one day ago, that mountain valley had been swamped with Demon Qi, a complete sea of black. Now that he was looking at it again, the situation seemed even worse than before. Moreover, Wen Zi Shan and the others were trapped in that mountain valley.

The overall situation had been settled. Almost all the people who had been possessed by Demon Spirits had been eliminated, and without them, the remaining Demons could no longer cause any trouble. Thus, Yang Kai headed in the direction of the mountain valley.

Along the way, three streams of light rushed towards Yang Kai from three different directions and arrived next to him. They were Fan Wu, Cang Gou, and Luan Feng. They had clearly noticed his movements and came to provide support. No matter how much they disliked him and even wanted to kill him themselves at times, that woman, who was the natural enemy of all Divine Spirits, was standing behind him. They had personally witnessed the intimacy between him and that woman before she entered the Blood Gate and also knew how important he was to her; therefore, they knew that she would definitely make them suffer greatly the moment she came out of her retreat if they allowed Yang Kai to die right under their noses. For that reason, they had no choice but to stay by his side to prevent any accidents.

These four figures sped forward without running into any hindrances along the way and soon arrived next to the mountain valley, landing on a certain mountain peak. Looking around, the three Divine Spirits frowned, and a hint of fear showed in their eyes. That was because the mountain valley was flooded with dense Demon Qi, squirming and rolling about like a living thing. They did not know how the Demon Qi was formed, but they were certain that they would suffer greatly if they fell into it.

The sounds of fighting and killing came out from the middle of the mountain valley, making it clear people were trapped and besieged inside.

“Boy, how dare you ruin my plans!? Did you think you could rescue them? In your dreams!” Lei Gu’s voice came from somewhere inside the mountain valley, echoing from all directions, making it impossible to tell where it was coming from.

“Why are you hiding in the shadows!? If you have the guts, why don’t you come out and fight!?” Yang Kai snorted coldly.

Lei Gu laughed, “How naïve! Just wait right there! I will finish them off first, then I’ll come and deal with you!” After those words left his mouth, the Demon Qi in the mountain valley churned even more violently and screams rang out from all over.

Yang Kai’s expression changed, “Junior Sister Murong!”

He distinctly heard Murong Xiao Xiao’s voice among those screams and was just about to rush in when Luan Feng grabbed his shoulder and shot him a glare as she snarled, “What are you doing!? Do you court death!?”

“Let go!” Yang Kai shook off her hand angrily.

Fan Wu’s figure flickered and stood in Yang Kai’s path, quickly warning, “Yang Kai, don’t be so impulsive. It’s clear as day that that guy is deliberately trying to provoke you and lead you into a trap. You will be doing exactly what he wants if you rush in right now!”

Cang Gou also tried to persuade Yang Kai, “That’s right. The Demon Qi is so dense here that it’s incredibly dangerous inside. You need to reconsider this.”

“To Hell with reconsidering!” Yang Kai shouted, spraying the three Divine Spirits in the face with his spit, his expression turning savage, “My friends are inside! I don’t know how much longer they can hold on for! How can I not go and rescue them!? Are you asking me to stand here and watch them die!?”

“Recklessly rushing in is not the way! At the very least, we need to know the situation inside!” Fan Wu scowled, “Let’s do this. Call over everyone outside and we will work together to disperse the Demon Qi in the mountain valley. That way, the situation will reveal itself on its own.”

Yang Kai’s expression was gloomy, but nevertheless, he did not insist on rushing in again either. Even he knew that that was the only choice they had at the moment.

At that moment, Murong Xiao Xiao’s screams rang out again.

“Lei Gu, you court death!” Yang Kai’s expression became hostile again and Space Principles flared before he vanished from where he stood, rushing in without any regard for anything else.

Fan Wu and the others were instantly dumbfounded.

Luan Feng was so livid that her chest heaved violently and she frustratedly cursed, “Fool!”

Similarly, Cang Gou shook his head with a helpless look, feeling helpless.

On the other hand, Fan Wu’s expression was grim as he gritted his teeth and spoke up, “What are you still standing there for? Let’s go.”

Regardless of whether they wanted to or not, since Yang Kai had rushed in, they had no choice but to follow. Fortunately, the three of them were Divine Spirits so they had inherently strong resistance towards Demon Qi corruption and did not need to fear it in the short term. However, nobody dared to make any assumptions if they were exposed to this Demon Qi for an extended period. Besides, what worried them the most was Yang Kai as who knows what treachery Lei Gu had prepared in advance to deal with him? It would be a miracle if Yang Kai could survive for this long after plunging headlong into such an obvious trap.

As soon as they stepped into the Demon Qi, the three Divine Spirits felt their hearts sinking. That was because they immediately lost sight of each other. The Demon Qi was swirling in all directions and completely disoriented them, making it impossible to distinguish North from South. Even up, down, left, and right confused.

Burst of screams rang in their ears, further disturbing their senses. Moreover, murderous intent came from all directions while black shadows that were barely perceptible flitted around them like fish, moving so fast that one couldn’t grasp their traces.

The Demons could bring out their full power in this environment while the three Divine Spirits had to remain on guard while protecting themselves against the corruption of the Demon Qi. If this situation continued for long, it would become extremely unfavourable for them.

The three of them were duty-bound though, so as soon as they entered this place, they kept calling out Yang Kai’s name in hopes of receiving a reply. Unfortunately, each of them now felt as though they were the only person left in this world, so how could anyone else exist close to them?

Meanwhile, Yang Kai’s figure flitted through the darkness. He kept speeding forward as Murong Xiao Xiao’s screams resounded in his ears. She sounded like she was fighting somebody. He tracked the sounds and followed in the direction it was coming from, but even so, he couldn’t find anybody.

All of a sudden, Murong Xiao Xiao let out a blood-curdling scream which then stopped abruptly. The veins in Yang Kai’s forehead twitched in response and he paused mid-motion. His surroundings were completely silent, and no matter how he tried to listen, he couldn’t hear a single voice anymore. It seemed something tragic had happened to her since her scream that came to such an abrupt end just now. As a result, Yang Kai’s expression twisted and he raised his hand to summon out the Myriads Sword.

Yang Kai’s Emperor Qi surged and a powerful sword wave flashed out as he roared, “Lei Gu, face me!”

Obviously, Lei Gu didn’t react at all and instead, another scream came from the place where the sword wave had passed.

Yang Kai was stunned for a moment. He could tell that the voice belonged to Xiao Bai Yi. Rushing over, he saw a person leaning against a tree, dressed in familiar white robs now stained red in blood. This man used his hands to press against the wound but couldn’t seem to stop the blood from flowing out, a crimson pool gathering below him.

“Xiao Bai!” Yang Kai walked up to Xiao Bai Yi and called out in a trembling voice.

Xiao Bai Yi looked up, his complexion utterly bloodless. When he saw Yang Kai, he smiled sorrowfully, “Junior Brother Yang…”

“Your injury…” Yang Kai stared blankly at the injury on Xiao Bai Yi’s body. The injury stretched from Xiao Bai Yi’s shoulder all the way to his abdomen and was clearly caused by a sword strike. In addition, traces of Yang Kai’s Emperor Qi remained in the wound.

Yang Kai was dumbfounded.

“Junior Brother, don’t blame yourself…” Xiao Bai Yi smiled at Yang Kai, blood trickling out from the corner of his mouth, “I was dying anyway. You need to escape. You have to run as far away as you can.”

However, Yang Kai remained frozen to the spot as if somebody had cast a Binding Technique on him, his eyes fixed on the sword wound on Xiao Bai Yi’s body. His gaze trembled lightly and his face filled with shock, fear, and guilt. He never expected that the random attack he unleashed would hit Xiao Bai Yi.

Chapter 3263

“Run!” Xiao Bai Yi suddenly mustered his strength and shouted. That violent movement affected his injury and the Emperor Qi wrapping around his body immediately collapsed. The boundless Demon Qi poured into his body through his nose, mouth, and open wound. Consequently, he showed signs of demonification within a short period of time.

A roar of pain and rage came out of his mouth as he tried his best to maintain his last shred of clarity. His eyes trembled intensely as they were gradually replaced by a pitch-black darkness. Just before his eyes were filled with black, he suddenly smiled bitterly and desperately called upon his strength. Subsequently, his body swelled and exploded in a loud explosion. Pieces of meat and blood splattered in all directions. It was as though a flower of blood had bloomed under that tall tree.

Yang Kai looked up to the sky and roared. His howl was filled with grief and fury. The Emperor Qi in his body surged fiercely, and his eyes turned red. All of a sudden, the howling stopped abruptly. He looked around coldly and spoke in a sinister voice, “Lei Gu, I swear if I don’t rip your corpse into ten thousand pieces I won’t be surnamed Yang anymore!”

When his words rang out, he heard Lei Gu’s laughter ringing in his ears. He went mad with rage, and the Myriads Sword in his hands shone brightly. Wave after wave of light slashed out, slicing through the darkness before disappearing from sight. As Yang Kai vented his anger through those sword waves, his emotions seemed to become more and more unstable. His eyes also became redder and redder and he looked like a volcano that could erupt at any moment. It was utterly terrifying.

“Senior Brother Yang…” A gentle yet uncertain voice rang out from behind him.

He didn’t even bother looking. Spinning around, he slashed out with his sword, releasing a three-metre long sword wave that broke through the protective layer of Emperor Qi around that person and sliced through them like butter.

Glaring in that direction, he saw Murong Xiao Xiao looking at him in a daze. She was covered in blood, and her beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief. Then, a line of blood appeared from the centre of her brow down to her chin. Her body split into half with a small explosion, her blood and internal organs scattering all over the ground, dying on the spot.

Yang Kai breathed heavily. His blood-coloured eyes froze for a moment, but that was all the reaction he showed. The black Qi around him churned and poured into his body without leaving a trace; however, he didn’t seem to notice it. It didn’t take long before he was filled to the brim with Demon Qi.

Lei Gu’s voice sounded again, “How does it feel to slaughter your own people? How does it feel to succumb to demonification?”

Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to those words, he simply waved the Myriads Sword in his hand around mechanically.

One by one, both familiar and unfamiliar faces appeared around him from all directions, but all of them were mercilessly split in half by him. He single-handedly killed all within a dozen meters of himself. Corpse after corpse quickly piled up on the ground.

Yang Kai did not know how long had passed when he finally leaned against the Myriads Sword breathlessly. His entire body was swirling with black Qi. Even his eyes turned pitch-black. He went on a rampage, venting his emotions wildly, but nevertheless, it was impossible to maintain such an uncontrolled burst of strength for long even if he was a Second-Order Emperor.

Meanwhile, two figures stood tall in the darkness. They were looking in Yang Kai’s direction through the dense layers of Demon Qi. They were none other than Lei Gu and Feng Ming.

“It should be done now, right?” Feng Ming asked.

Lei Gu frowned, seeming a little uncertain. Judging by the situation, there shouldn’t be any major problems. Even so, he shook his head just to be on the safe side, “He bears the blood of the Dragon Clan, which has a natural resistance towards Demon Qi. It is better to be careful and wait for a little longer.”

Feng Ming said, “It’s not as if there has never been a precedent for a member of the Dragon Clan undergoing demonification before. Besides, his bloodline is not pure. If he was in a stable mental state, he might have been able to resist for a bit, but he accidentally killed one of his own and formed a Heart Demon as a result. Trapped in this boundless Demon Qi, it is rare enough that he was able to persist for such a long time despite facing internal and external disturbances. I’m sure he has already completely succumbed to demonification by now.”

Lei Gu nodded, “That may be true, but…”

He still seemed to be hesitating.

Feng Ming took the initiative to suggest, “I’ll go and test him. Someone like him is a rare find. If I can make use of him, it will surely be of great help in the future.”

“En, act carefully!” Lei Gu warned.

Feng Ming nodded and flew over in the direction Yang Kai was located. He did not let his guard down as, although he was almost certain that Yang Kai had been completely demonified, he remained cautious and vigilant. The Demon Qi in his body fluctuated quietly and he was prepared to retreat at any time.

As Feng Ming walked forward, the boundless Demon Qi parted to open a path for him on its own and revealed the scenery shrouded in the darkness. When there were less than thirty metres between him and Yang Kai, he carefully observed the latter’s situation while creeping forward little by little. It didn’t take long for him to arrive one metre in front of Yang Kai. Feng Ming’s hands transformed into claws and he struck at Yang Kai’s chest without any warning. His claws that were rippling with power sliced through the air with an audible sound, looking quite powerful at a glance.

The tip of his claws pierced Yang Kai’s chest a full finger length deep with a slashing sound, and blood instantly splattered all over; even so, Yang Kai remained motionless as though he couldn’t feel any pain at all.

Feng Ming couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. [It’s certain now. He has completed the Demon Transformation. I said it, didn’t I? He didn’t even hesitate to kill so many people; moreover, those were all his ‘comrades’. How can he resist the Demon Qi’s corruption under the influence of such a great Heart Demon? Judging by external appearances, this little brat is definitely under the influence of Demon Qi. My actions just now were the final test. If he was only pretending to be under the Demon Transformation, he would surely react to a fatal attack. It can only mean that we succeeded since he had no reaction whatsoever.]

On the other hand, Lei Gu let out a breath of relief when he saw this scene. [With this, I can finally finish my mission here. I was wondering how to report to the higher ups about the failure in the Southern Territory, but this mistake can be completely offset now that we managed to capture Yang Kai. Not only is he a Master in the Dao of Space, but he also seems to have the blood of the Dragon Clan. He will surely be useful in the future.]

Feng Ming withdrew his hand. The blood on Yang Kai’s chest flowed freely, but his expression remained wooden and he seemed oblivious to his circumstances. Feng Ming circled around Yang Kai, carefully examining the latter and nodding repeatedly, “Good, good, good.”

Coming back to stand in front of Yang Kai again, Feng Ming suddenly took out a black box from his pocket. That box was made from unknown materials that were neither gold nor jade. When he opened the box, a seed-like thing inside the box was revealed. The seed was also pitch-black in colour. It was only the size of a mung bean, but there were Spiritual Energy fluctuations coming from it. It was as though this was not a seed but a person.

Feng Ming stretched out a hand to pick up the seed; then, he slowly pressed it against Yang Kai’s brow. The moment the two came into contact, the pitch-black seed stuck to Yang Kai’s forehead. It desperately squeezed itself into his head as though it was alive and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, a figure appeared inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea. The figure was wrapped in black Qi and its features were constantly distorting, so much so that one could not make out its facial features clearly.

“Is this how you possess the others?” A voice suddenly rang out.

The black figure was shocked and when it turned its head to look in the direction of the voice, it saw Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar floating quietly above the Knowledge Sea. Yang Kai was holding a long sabre in his hand and looking in this direction with a grin full of ridicule and mockery.

“You weren’t corrupted!?” A hoarse voice rang out. It was difficult to tell whether the voice belonged to a male or a female, but it carried a strong sense of disbelief in it.

How could it not realize that it had been tricked the moment it saw Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar? If Yang Kai had been completely demonified, his Soul Avatar would also reflect it. Under such circumstances, it would only need to consume his Soul Avatar to possess his body.

[How can this be? His physical body has clearly completed the Demon Transformation! It’s not a lie that he was consumed by the Demon Qi, so how is he preserving his consciousness? He even turned it to his advantage by waiting for me here! More than that, he didn’t even react when Feng Ming attacked him just now! How could he be so sure that Feng Ming wouldn’t take his life? He truly is reckless!]

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Yang Kai grinned at the black figure, revealing a mouthful of fangs.

The black figure flickered and transformed into a black mist, intending to escape Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea. Unfortunately, Yang Kai dominated everything in this space. It was easy to enter, but leaving would require his permission or a stronger force to tear down the defences of his Knowledge Sea. Although the black shadow was powerful, it was ultimately just a Demon Spirit. Without the support of a physical body, it could not exert its full strength, so how could it break through the defences of Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea? For a moment, it dashed about desperately like a beast trapped in a cage with no hope of escape. It couldn’t even send word to the outside world.

Meanwhile, Yang Kai pointed his Soul Splitting Saber at the black figure from far away with a cold expression. Locked onto like that, the black figure clearly felt a sense of catastrophe looming over it. Even though it did not have a physical body, it felt cold all over. It was rather decisive though, and knowing that it could not escape from Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, it decided to turn around and lunge at him instead. It was determined to bring Yang Kai down with it.

“Cut!” A shout rang out, and at the same time, the Soul Splitting Saber shuddered slightly and transformed into a blade of light. Slashing out in front, the light landed on that black figure’s body and a blood-curdling scream rang out as it was split into two and exploded into nothingness.

After Yang Kai got rid of the Demon Spirit that had invaded his Knowledge Sea, his expression became solemn and his Soul Avatar left his Knowledge Sea. Inside the darkness, Yang Kai opened his eyes and moved his pitch-black eyes. A faint expression appeared on his face that had been stiff all this while.

Feng Ming stood in front of Yang Kai with his hand behind his back. He nodded when he saw the changes, “Let’s go.”

Without even the slightest doubt, he turned around and left.

Yang Kai watched Feng Ming’s back. He was extremely tempted to stab Feng Ming to death but resisted the impulse.

Passing through the thick Demon Qi, the two of them soon arrived in front of Lei Gu. Feng Ming smiled and declared, “It’s done.”

Likewise, Lei Gu was smiling brightly. He nodded repeatedly while looking at Yang Kai. Yang Kai cupped his fists and greeted Lei Gu, “Sir.”

At that moment, the smile on Lei Gu’s face froze. Similarly, Feng Ming looked surprised and turned to look at Yang Kai.

Yang Kai felt his heart lurching at the sight as he keenly realized that he had blown his cover. [It was just one word! Is saying ‘Sir’ such a big deal?]

Before Yang Kai could even finish his thought, Lei Gu and Feng Ming suddenly split up in two directions and backed away hurriedly, so Yang Kai acted equally decisively. He immediately manipulated the Space Principles around him and caused the surrounding space to instantly solidify. He simultaneously shot out a Moon Blade at Lei Gu and Feng Ming respectively. Since the attack was made hurriedly though, he failed to bring out his full strength.

Lei Gu proved his strength as a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master as he broke through the spatial blockade, his movements only slightly hindered, and avoided the Moon Blade by a hair’s breadth.

Chapter 3264

On the other hand, Feng Ming was not as fortunate. He was imprisoned by the Space Principles and before he could recover from his shock, the Moon Blade sliced through him. A gaping crescent-shaped hole immediately appeared in his chest, and his internal organs could be seen clearly from his wound.

He looked down at the hideous gaping wound in his chest and widened his eyes in shock. He could barely believe what he was seeing. This was the body of a Second-Order Emperor, no different from Yang Kai, but it had been reduced to this state from just from a single attack. Although part of the reason was that he had been caught off guard, the other party’s strength was still clearly overwhelming.

If he had really been Feng Ming, this attack would have robbed him of his mobility and left him as good as dead; however, he was a Demon Spirit who possessed a body to live, so even though he received a fatal wound, he did not collapse immediately. Instead, a large amount of Demon Qi emerged from the wound on his chest, wriggling as it tried to patch up the hole.

Meanwhile, Lei Gu gave a loud roar after dodging the Moon Blade. He used all his strength and managed to fully break free from the constraints of the Space Principles and retreated with a look of horror, trying to escape into the darkness. As long as he could avoid Yang Kai’s sudden assault, he would be able to conceal himself again. Yang Kai would never find him amidst all this boundless Demon Qi.

How could Yang Kai let Lei Gu do as he wished though? After sending out two Moon Blades, he raised his hand and tossed out a small, pitch-black beast about thirty centimetres long. That small beast looked no different from an ordinary puppy, but a terrifying light that gave off a sense of joy and excitement shone in its eyes the moment it appeared. It was the Abyssal Returner!

After Yang Kai returned from the Frozen Earth, he let Ah Wang roam free in High Heaven Palace. He did not bring it along with him on his trip to Dragon Island as there wasn’t much point, but having said that, the enemies he was currently facing were Demons and Demon Spirits. Ah Wang happened to be their nemesis, so how could Yang Kai not bring her along? When he returned to High Heaven Palace previously, he had summoned her and quietly slipped her into the Small Sealed World.

Lei Gu was slightly startled when the Abyssal Returner appeared. He did not understand the reason why Yang Kai had taken out a small, weak beast at this point in time; nevertheless, he couldn’t help feeling an innate sense of fear coming from the depths of his heart at this moment, as though he had encountered his natural enemy.

The Myriads Sword shook and transformed into a sword net that enveloped Lei Gu and blocked his escape while Ah Wang rushed to Lei Gu’s side in an instant and its mouth split open widely. The small dog’s head suddenly became bigger than a house, and inside its maw was an abyss of pure chaos as it moved to swallow Lei Gu.

“Abyssal Returner!” Lei Gu was shocked and paled considerably. He had not recognized the Abyssal Returner just now because things had happened too suddenly, but how could he not realize it when faced with this abnormality? It turned out to be an actual Abyssal Returner!

The Abyssal Returner was a legendary existence in the Demon Realm, and any member of the Demon Race who had lived for long enough would know of its horror. The Abyssal Returner in front of him might not be on the same level as that terrifying existence that threatened to devour the entire world, but it still carried a trace of the Abyssal Returner’s bloodline. That trace, however, was enough to make any Demon tremble at the mere mention of it.

That large, pitch-black mouth was emitting an extremely horrifying aura that caused Lei Gu’s entire body to go cold with fear just looking at it. Combined with Yang Kai’s sword net restraining his movements, he had no means of escape.

When he saw that he was about to be brutally swallowed by the Abyssal Returner, Lei Gu suddenly stretched out his hand. A figure appeared out of nowhere and stopped in front of him. That figure had long, fluttering hair; clothes that whipped about in the wind; an exquisite face accompanied by a cold expression; and eyes that were completely pitch-black. 

Gao Xue Ting!

Yang Kai’s eyes widened in shock and he frantically dispersed the sword net he erected around Lei Gu. He had guessed that something bad had happened to Gao Xue Ting, and now, it seemed that his guess was right. She and Luo Chen must have been corrupted by Demon Qi and undergone demonization as a result.

Gao Xue Ting stood before Lei Gu motionlessly, with no intention of resisting at all, so how could Yang Kai bring himself to hurt her? When he pulled back, he saw that Ah Wang’s mouth was still closing in, seemingly planning to devour both Lei Gu and Gao Xue Ting together!

Yang Kai didn’t even stop to consider it as his figure flickered, appearing next to Ah Wang and kicking her away. In response, the Abyssal Returner let out a pitiful whimper as she was sent flying. 

Yang Kai’s face twitched involuntarily when he turned back to glare at Lei Gu again and curse, “Despicable!”

On the other side, Lei Gu had taken advantage of this gap to press his hand against the top of Gao Xue Ting’s head, Demon Qi surging up wildly as he threatened to kill her at any moment.

Lei Gu did not experience the slightest joy of escaping from death though as the muscles on his face were twitching uncontrollably and his gaze fixed on Yang Kai, practically spitting fire from his eyes. He couldn’t believe his grand plans had all been foiled by this damn brat!

He had been deceived earlier because Yang Kai’s acting had been too real, not even dodging when Feng Ming tried to gouge out his heart! [How was he so sure that Feng Ming was only testing him!?]

At this moment, Lei Gu was more like a beast trapped in a corner, struggling to survive. He had been forced to take Gao Xue Ting hostage to prevent his death. This was not how it was supposed to go. They conspired for so many years and planted so many Demon Seeds. Under normal circumstances, they should have wiped out or corrupted hundreds of Emperor Realm Masters and tens of thousands of elite disciples in the Southern Territory by now, then quietly turned the entire Southern Territory into a Demon Paradise.

Unfortunately, the plan began to fall apart when Yang Kai appeared. As a result, Lei Gu was forced to change his strategy. The worst part was that Yang Kai had managed to summon so many powerful reinforcements within just a single day, causing his plans to lose all hope of success. In the end, Yang Kai even plotted against him and nearly managed to infiltrate their ranks. It was only natural that Lei Gu’s mood was as terrible as could be. [He disappeared for more than ten years! Why did he have to show up again at such a critical juncture to ruin my plans?!]

“Release her!” Yang Kai flicked the Myriads Sword and pointed it at Lei Gu.

Lei Gu stared at Yang Kai with an insidious expression.

Yang Kai returned the stare without showing any weakness. Seeing that Lei Gu had no intention of compromising though, he secretly felt troubled. He had previously considered this possibility; however, he could hardly rescue Gao Xue Ting first when he didn’t even know where she was.

As he had suspected, Lei Gu had taken her hostage. What frustrated Yang Kai the most, though, was that she was currently being controlled and had no intention of resisting Lei Gu. On the contrary, she was under Lei Gu’s complete control.

A soft whimpering sound entered Yang Kai’s ears as Ah Wang got up from the side and whined at him, looking extremely aggrieved. When she saw that Yang Kai had no intention of paying any attention to her though, her small round eyes spun around for a bit then landed on Feng Ming.

Feng Ming had been heavily injured but had used his Demon Qi to seal his wound. It didn’t seem like his life was in danger, but even so, he couldn’t help feeling terrified under Ah Wang’s stare as she quietly trotted closer towards him.

Ah Wang crouched low to the ground, her small eyes observing Feng Ming for a moment before she suddenly pounced without any warning.

Feng Ming’s expression changed drastically and he moved his feet to dodge aside, but somehow, Ah Wang’s mouth was already looming over him from the sky. The stench of blood filled his nose as he screamed, “Save m…!”

The shout was cut off abruptly as only the sound of Ah Wang’s audibly gulping could be heard. A bulging lump that was visible to the naked eye travelled down her throat and all the way into her belly. She had swallowed Feng Ming once before when her bloodline had first been stimulated, but unfortunately for her, she had been too weak at the time. Feng Ming managed to escape from her mouth and avoided death by relying on his strong cultivation and assistance from his allies on the outside.

Many years had gone by now though, and Ah Wang had grown significantly since then. Moreover, she devoured a large amount of Demon Qi and many of the Demons back in the Revolving World, all of which had been transformed into her own strength. On the other hand, Feng Ming, who had been possessed by a Demon Spirit and turned into a Demon, was naturally suppressed when facing an awakened Abyssal Returner. Most importantly, Feng Ming had just been severely injured by Yang Kai, so how could he resist? As a result, he was swallowed up in one bite.

A myriad of expressions flashed across Lei Gu’s face as he watched the Abyssal Returner warily out of the corner of his eyes, his face twitching slightly.

After devouring Feng Ming, the Abyssal Returner licked her lips with her tongue and turned to stare at Lei Gu eagerly, as if she wanted to swallow him too. She had not eaten anything that was to her palate ever since returning from the Revolving World as it was rare to encounter a Demon, so it was only natural that she wanted to eat her fill today.

She was also annoyed that Yang Kai did not allow her to do so. Nevertheless, she did not dare to act rashly and could only settle for an appetizer. Opening her large mouth again, an extremely strong suction came from within her mouth and the tumultuous Demon Qi in the air began pouring into her mouth, causing the amount of Demon Qi in the surroundings to decrease at a speed visible to the naked eye.

“You can’t escape,” Yang Kai looked at Lei Gu indifferently. “Surrender and I might be willing to spare your life!”

Lei Gu calmly replied, “Do you take me for a fool?”

Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Your life has no value to me.”

Lei Gu said grimly, “That might be the case, but her life is different.”

While speaking, he put some strength into his hand gripping the top of Gao Xue Ting’s head, causing a pained expression to flash across her face.

Yang Kai gritted his teeth and growled, “What do you want?”

Lei Gu asked, “Why weren’t you corrupted?”

This question had been bothering him all this while, and he couldn’t help wanting to understand. Yang Kai’s various actions up until now clearly indicated that he was being corrupted by the Demon Qi. Even now, his entire body was wrapped in the Demon Qi, so how was he able to maintain his consciousness without succumbing to it?

As long as Lei Gu couldn’t figure out the answer to this question, he simply could not be at ease.

“What can this pitiful Demon Qi do to me?” Yang Kai sneered. The Ancient Demon Qi sealed in his dantian was of extremely high density and purity. Comparatively, the Demon Qi in his surroundings was nothing. Even without the Ancient Demon Qi, his Half-Dragon body had a strong immunity to Demon Qi. Saying so, Yang Kai snorted and with a flicker, the Demon Qi invading his body was forced out and he immediately returned to his original state.

“What about the Heart Demon?” Lei Gu’s face twitched.

Yang Kai sneered, “What Heart Demon?”

Lei Gu said, “You killed so many people. Moreover, many of them were your friends…”

Yang Kai scoffed, “Did you think you could shake my mind with a paltry illusion?”

“How did you know?” Lei Gu grumbled. The people that Yang Kai killed had truly been nothing but illusions; however, they would seem extremely life-like in this boundless Demon Qi that dulled one’s senses. Even if Yang Kai had some doubts, watching his fellow comrades and friends die at his hands should have affected his mind unless he had a heart as cold and hard as steel, or he had some way to distinguish between the truth and the lies.

“Xiao Bai!” Yang Kai showed an enigmatic smile.

“What?” Lei Gu frowned, obviously not understanding Yang Kai’s answer.

“If you still don’t understand, then stop asking, it only reveals your ignorance.” Yang Kai snorted coldly.

In fact, when he first encountered Xiao Bai Yi here, Yang Kai had not been able to distinguish whether what he saw was real or fake either. He had to admit that Lei Gu’s trick was amazing. However, Yang Kai knew something was wrong the moment he uttered the name ‘Xiao Bai’.

Xiao Bai Yi would never accept being called ‘Xiao Bai’, no matter the circumstances, and would only have sternly reiterated his full name, as if he would not be able to die happily if he did not.

Chapter 3265

Before entering this mountain valley, Yang Kai had suspected that Lei Gu was leading him into a trap. The most obvious sign was Murong Xiao Xiao’s screams. Her screams had been increasingly urgent, and the intention behind those screams could not be more obvious.

Needless to say, he rushed into the mountain valley alone in a fit of ‘uncontrollable rage’ just to see what Lei Gu was up to. After that, he simply went with the flow and achieved what he wanted in the end. He had baited Lei Gu out of the shadows; unfortunately, he now had to act cautiously or Gao Xue Ting would suffer the consequences.

Whilst their conversation was going on, the Demon Qi in the mountain valley had reduced drastically. All of it had flowed into Ah Wang’s belly. As the darkness gradually dissipated, the original scenery in the mountain valley gradually emerged once again. Many figures stood tall while the ground was littered with countless corpses. The entire mountain valley was no longer green and lush like before. Looking around, the place was a mess, and the ground was practically stained red with blood.

Thousands stood in the centre of the mountain valley protected by a number of Spirit Arrays that were flickering slightly. These people were the cultivators from all over the Southern Territory who came to participate in the Martial Gathering and they were the only group of people that had yet to succumb to the Demon Qi. It could be seen that they only managed to hold out until now by relying on those Spirit Arrays. Nevertheless, every one of them was pale, regardless of their cultivation. They were clearly reaching their limits. On the other hand, tens of thousands of Demons gathered around this group of people, besieging them.

The sudden disappearance of the boundless Demon Qi surprised everyone.

*Shua shua shua…*

The sounds of something slicing through the air rang out as powerful auras emerged one after another and shot into the mountain valley. It was none other than the reinforcements Yang Kai brought with him. When Fan Wu and the others saw that Yang Kai was safe and sound, they quietly let out a breath of relief; however, their attention was quickly drawn towards Lei Gu.

Everybody could see that Yang Kai was currently confronting Lei Gu, while Lei Gu was holding a woman hostage. The woman also seemed to have experienced demonification and it was unclear what her relationship with Yang Kai was.

“Little Xue Ting!” Wen Zi Shan’s voice called out, the expression on his face never having been more solemn. In the time it took for him to fling his purple robes out of the way, he had already arrived next to Yang Kai and was now staring at Lei Gu deeply. There was no need to ask anything; he already understood the situation in front of them.

Lei Gu’s expression was dark as he slowly swept his gaze over his surroundings only to see enemy Masters standing in all directions. He instantly understood that the battle was lost and his plans were a complete failure. Thus, he couldn’t help nursing a grudge in his heart. Although he had tens of thousands of demonified cultivators on his side still, the difference in strength was too great. In addition, they had not been demonified for long so they required precise control and would be unable to play a significant role on their own. The only thing they could be used for was to create a distraction.

“Do you think you can escape?” Yang Kai looked at Lei Gu and lightly continued, “Do you believe me when I say I can make you disappear so thoroughly that not even bones remain with just a simple order?”

Lei Gu laughed, “Of course I believe you, but I can drag her down with me before I die. If you don’t believe it, you can try me.”

Yang Kai nodded, “I believe you.”

Pausing for a moment, Yang Kai continued, “Like I said, your life means nothing to me. Let her go and I will spare you.”

“You can’t!” An angry roar rang out. It was the Holy Master of Heavenly Martial Holy Land, Ma Qing. He was covered in blood, and nobody could tell whether it was his own or someone else’s. His expression was savage as he stared at Lei Gu coldly, “He is the culprit behind all of this, we cannot let him escape. It’s clear that he has been plotting this for a long time. If we can capture him, we might still be able to get some information out of him.”

Both Yang Kai and Wen Zi Shan turned around to stare at Ma Qing in unison.

Ma Qing glared furiously, “If you let him escape today, the Southern Territory might face another catastrophe in the future. What do you think, Golden Envoy Xiao?”

Xiao Yu Yang furrowed his brow together without saying anything. Essentially, he agreed with what Ma Qing was saying and he also knew that Ma Qing’s words were not coming from selfish intentions. The Southern Territory had been hunting and suppressing Demon Spirits for more than ten years now and originally thought that they had more or less wiped them out. Even if one or two had escaped the purge, so few Demon Spirits would not be able to cause any trouble, but how could they have known that the entire Orthodoxy Temple had fallen to the Demon Spirits without anyone noticing?

Nobody knew who the mastermind behind this grand conspiracy was, nor what this conspiracy was ultimately hoping to achieve. If they could capture Lei Gu, there would certainly be some hope of obtaining some useful information from him. With that, they would be a little more prepared in the future. At the very least, they could find out who else among the Masters in the Southern Territory were being possessed by Demon Spirits.

Based on that point alone, they could not let Lei Gu escape. Unfortunately, Xiao Yu Yang knew that the decision was not in his hands. It was true that he was a Golden Star Envoy of Star Soul Palace who could act as its representative, and under normal circumstances, none of the cultivators of the Southern Territory would dare to disobey him if he issued an order, but right now…

Xiao Yu Yang turned and glanced at the unfamiliar faces of the many Masters around him, smiling bitterly in his heart, [I don’t think anything I say at this moment will change the situation. Yang Kai and Wen Zi Shan obviously want to save Gao Xue Ting from Lei Gu. I will only humiliate myself if I step forward and openly oppose them.]

When Ma Qing saw that Xiao Yu Yang was not saying anything and immediately understood what the latter was worrying about. Thus, he stopped putting his hopes in Xiao Yu Yang and instead turned to look at Wen Zi Shan, “Temple Master Wen, I understand your feelings, but I hope that you can consider the bigger picture. The survival of the Southern Territory must be our top priority. You are the Temple Master of Azure Sun Temple, everything you say and do will become a model to the billions of cultivators in the Southern Territory. Please think twice!”

With such a heavy responsibility to bear, Wen Zi Shan showed a pained expression as he asked slowly, “Brother Ma, what would you do if it was Madam Qi in this situation instead?”

Madam Qi was Ma Qing’s wife, a Second-Order Emperor, and was at this moment, standing right next to him. Ma Qing’s face twitched in response to this question, but he gritted his teeth and declared, “Sacrifices for the greater good are necessary!”

His voice was filled with sorrow, as if he had truly given up on Madam Qi, and as soon as those words left his mouth, the woman next to him dressed in palace robes couldn’t help but tremble and slightly lower her eyes.

Wen Zi Shan gave a wry smile, “Brother Ma, I admire your valiance…”

“Shut him up!” Yang Kai snapped as he suddenly shot a look at Fan Wu.

Fan Wu’s figure flickered and appeared in front of Ma Qing in the next instant, raising his hand to knock Ma Qing out.

Ma Qing was shocked and the longsword in his hand bloomed with countless sword shadows that shot towards Fan Wu. In response, Fan Wu simply snorted and released a wild aura from his body, causing Ma Qing to feel as though he was dragged into an ancient world. The Emperor Qi in Ma Qing’s body became disordered, and his sword technique collapsed as a result.

Meanwhile, Fan Wu’s hand that was reaching out towards Ma Qing bypassed the sword shadows like a butterfly fluttering among the falling flower petals and accurately struck Ma Qing’s chest. The power contained in his fingertips was extremely astounding, enough to kill Ma Qing at any moment.

The people from Heavenly Martial Holy Land were shocked as they never expected their Holy Master to be subdued in a single move. Fortunately, the other party had no intention to kill; otherwise, Ma Qing would not be standing there alive at this moment. Ma Qing might have consumed a lot of his strength previously, but he was still a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. How could he be defeated so easily?

“A Divine Spirit!” Ma Qing’s eyes bulged as he stared at Fan Wu blankly with a look of disbelief. The man standing in front of him was a genuine Divine Spirit! Although he had never met Fan Wu before, Ma Qing could not be mistaken about the unique aura coming from the other party. This person was a Divine Spirit that had assumed human form.

Ma Qing didn’t know what Divine Spirit this man was, but he knew that he wouldn’t be a match for him even if he was at his peak, let alone in his current condition. What horrified him even more was that a Divine Spirit was obeying Yang Kai’s commands. [W-What is going on? How can Yang Kai order a Divine Spirit around?]

Fan Wu looked at Ma Qing coldly, “I’m not in a good mood right now, so don’t force me to kill you!”

He poked Ma Qing lightly in the chest, making Ma Qing stagger several steps backwards from the force.

Ma Qing opened his mouth again; however, Madam Qi, who was standing next to him, tugged at his sleeve to warn him, so in the end, he just let out a long sigh. He could tell that the Divine Spirit in front of him was not bluffing. This man really would kill him if he stepped out of line again.

Thousands of cultivators from the Southern Territory and tens of thousands of Demons faced each other in the mountain valley, but it was completely silent. It was almost as if all eyes were fixed on Yang Kai and Lei Gu. Those two were the keys to resolving this situation.

“Alright. Now, we can talk.” Yang Kai’s gaze passed over Gao Xue Ting and stared directly at Lei Gu, “If you want to die, I’ll grant your wish right now. I guarantee there won’t be a shred of you left.”

Wen Zi Shan’s eyes flashed at those words, and his heart leapt into his throat. Luckily, Lei Gu did not move, showing no intention to kill.

Yang Kai smiled lightly at this sight, “It looks like you want to live after all! Good, it must not have been easy for you to possess a body and come back to life. Moreover, you even managed to possess a Third-Order Emperor, the height of luxury. Who would die willingly under such circumstances?”

Yang Kai’s gaze became sharp as he waved his hand around and continued, “Look around. Do you think you have a chance to leave here today?”

“Are you threatening me!?” Lei Gu coldly snorted.

Yang Kai replied, “I just want you to recognize the reality of your situation. Oh right, I forgot to introduce you, do you see that man standing over there? He is a Divine Spirit from the Eastern Territory, Fan Wu. That is Divine Spirit Cang Gou, and last but not least, this beautiful woman is Divine Spirit Luan Feng. As for them, they are the thirty-two Monster Kings serving under them…”

When Luan Feng heard those words, her lips twitched faintly, while on the contrary, it was the thirty-two Monster Kings who revealed fierce expressions and pushed their Monster Qi to press down on Lei Gu.

Meanwhile, many of the cultivators in the Southern Territory felt extremely frightened as well. It was shocking enough when they watched Ma Qing being subdued by Fan Wu in a single move. Even so, it wasn’t until this moment that they realized that there was not just one Divine Spirit here, but three! In addition, there were also thirty-two Monster Kings!

[What kind of force is this!? It’s practically unheard of and never seen before! Even Star Soul Palace couldn’t bring out such a powerful force, right?] What made them slightly more at ease was that the Divine Spirits and Yang Kai seemed to get along pretty well, so there was no need to worry that they would cause trouble for the Southern Territory.

“Additionally, there are more than two hundred Emperor Realm Masters from the Northern Territory with me…” Yang Kai pointed to the other side where those he had brought here from the North raised their heads and puffed out their chests proudly, not willing to look weaker than those Monster Kings.

Lei Gu shouted angrily, “You think that’s enough to scare me!?”

Yang Kai replied lightly, “I’m not trying to scare you. I just wanted to let you know that we still have room for negotiation.”

“Negotiation? Negotiate what?” Lei Gu snorted. Even while he was speaking, he kept a firm grip on Gao Xue Ting, refusing to give anybody a chance at silently taking him down.

“You want to live, and I want that woman, so the solution is simple. I let you go, and you let go of her.”

Lei Gu sneered, “Let me leave first. Once I confirm my safety, I will let her return.”

Yang Kai laughed coldly, “Do you think that’s possible?”

Wen Zi Shan interjected in their conversation, “I will replace her. You can take me as your hostage instead. I will even allow you to pour your Demon Qi into me!”

Chapter 3266

Upon hearing those words, Lei Gu sneered, “Why should this King do something so unnecessary?”

Gao Xue Ting was the best hostage he could get his hands on, so there was no need to exchange her for Wen Zi Shan. Additionally, the risks would be too great. Putting aside the question of whether there would be any accidents in the process of the exchange, even imbuing Wen Zi Shan with Demon Qi was questionable as he was a Minor Realm stronger than Gao Xue Ting.

The fact that there weren’t any other Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters among the cultivators that had been corrupted by the Demon Qi was a testament to this reality. It wasn’t that Lei Gu and Feng Ming didn’t want to corrupt them, it was simply that it was too difficult to actually execute such a plan. That was why they settled for second best and focused on those in the First and Second-Order Emperor Realm first.

“What do you want then!?” Wen Zi Shan no longer had his usual free-spirited demeanour. His expression had never been this solemn before, “All I want is for her to be safe. Just tell me whatever conditions you have!”

Lei Gu snorted, “I told you. Let me go free. I will let her go once I reach a safe place.”

“That’s impossible!” Wen Zi Shan slowly shook his head, “There is no guarantee that you will do what you say. How can I trust you?”

Lei Gu answered in a calm and leisurely manner, “You can only take that gamble if you want her to be safe. At worst, this woman will simply lose her life.” He let the Demon Qi in his hand flow and Gao Xue Ting immediately groaned in pain.

“Stop!” Wen Zi Shan burst out, raising his hand to stop Lei Gu, his expression changing drastically at the same time.

Lei Gu was about to reply when Yang Kai interjected, “I can’t agree to your proposal, and you won’t agree to my proposal either. Fine then, let’s both compromise.”

Lei Gu shifted his gaze to look at Yang Kai, “Let’s hear it.”

Yang Kai put his hands behind his back, “I’ll let you go, but I will be following behind you. When we reach a place you think is safe enough, you will hand Senior Sister Gao back to me. This is my final offer, if you still think that is unacceptable, then there’s nothing else to talk about anymore.”

Lei Gu didn’t answer but his eyes flickered. Meanwhile, Wen Zi Shan felt as though his heart was about to burst from his chest. He secretly circulated his Emperor Qi and prepared to attack immediately if he noticed anything wrong. The situation in the mountain valley seemed to have frozen over. There was no sound and no movement. Time never seemed to have flowed so slowly before.

Yang Kai did not know how long had passed, but taking a deep breath, he said, “I guess that’s a no.”

While speaking, he raised his hand high and shouted, “Monster Kings, heed my command!”

*Hong…* An overpowering Monster Qi erupted into the sky. At the same time, all thirty-two Monster Kings moved to surround both Lei Gu and Gao Xue Ting. All paths of retreat in every direction were blocked off. The eyes of every single Monster King were gleaming with bloodlust and eagerness filled their faces.

“I will count to three. If he still doesn’t answer, then shred him to pieces!” Yang Kai stared at Lei Gu coldly. Raising a finger on the hand he was holding up as he shouted in a firm manner, “One!”

Wen Zi Shan’s body tensed. Both his fists tightened and relaxed repeatedly in a never-ending cycle, feeling indescribably anxious.

“Two…” A second finger was raised.

Murderous intent flowed out from thirty-two Monster Kings and shrouded Lei Gu. The Monster Qi in each and every Monster King’s body was bubbling with ferocity. They didn’t care for Lei Gu or Gao Xue Ting as these two were both strangers to them. At this moment, they were only acting on Yang Kai’s orders, and since he had commanded them to rip Lei Gu to pieces on the count of three, then that was what they were going to do. They couldn’t care less about whether Gao Xue Ting would live or die.

Shrouded by the murderous intent from thirty-two different directions, the Demon Qi covering the surface of Lei Gu’s body became agitated. Despite being in the Third-Order Emperor Realm, he would not survive an assault from thirty-two Monster Kings working together. He would only die a brutal death the moment the fight began.

He stared at Yang Kai deeply, trying to look into the depths of his soul. He was hoping to see even the slightest hint of hesitation or bluff, but he was disappointed to see that Yang Kai’s expression remained undaunted. There was only a firm determination in those eyes, so just as the third finger was raised halfway, he finally succumbed, “Only you are allowed to follow.”

“Agreed!” Yang Kai put down his hand and clasped it behind his back, looking as calm as could be. However, the people standing behind him could clearly see that his hand was slightly shaking. It was obvious that he was not as calm as he seemed on the surface. Thus, they couldn’t help feeling some doubt. [If Lei Gu had not said anything, would Yang Kai really have allowed the thirty-two Monster Kings to charge in?]

“Make way!” Yang Kai waved his hand and the thirty-two Monster Kings surrounding Lei Gu immediately stepped aside to open up a path for him.

Fan Wu, Cang Gou, and Luan Feng couldn’t help sighing when they saw this. [Those are the Monster Kings under our command. Since when has a Human ever been allowed to order them around? The worst part is that these useless guys are just obeying everything he says like it’s natural! They don’t even show the slightest bit of hesitation! How absolutely infuriating!]

“Please,” Yang Kai gestured with his hand.

Lei Gu said unhurriedly, “You better mean what you say. If I discover you leaving any traces behind for them to track us down, or if I notice any of their auras following us… You will bear the consequences of your actions!”

“Don’t worry; just put your heart back into your belly,” Yang Kai laughed mockingly.

Lei Gu coldly snorted in response. Pushing his Demon Qi, he wrapped Gao Xue Ting in it before he rushed out along the gap in the encirclement. Yang Kai followed closely behind him at a leisurely pace.

In the blink of an eye, the two figures disappeared from everybody’s sight.

Looking in the direction those two left, Wen Zi Shan became hesitant. He was worried about Yang Kai chasing after Lei Gu alone and wanted to secretly follow after them. Even so, what Lei Gu said before made him cautious about acting recklessly lest he brought harm to them. If he accidentally exposed his aura and Lei Gu noticed, Gao Xue Ting would surely lose her life. He could also track them from a distance, but he couldn’t grasp their exact direction if they were too far away. Unfortunately, Yang Kai would probably have no chance to leave any clues behind.

Ma Qing sighed, patted Wen Zi Shan on the shoulder, and said, “Brother Wen, I’m sure that boy will do everything he can to definitely bring Elder Gao back since he was the one who came up with this proposal in the first place. You should just wait and see.”

After saying that, Ma Qing saw that Wen Zi Shan was not going to respond and could only walk back to the others. He glanced at his wife and disciples, and asked with concern, “Are you all alright?”

The group of disciples nodded their heads in response, while on the other hand, Madam Qi stared at him coldly. Her chilling stare drilled into him and made a sheen of cold sweat ooze out of his forehead. Parting his lips, he asked, “Darling, what’s wrong?”

In response, Madam Qi flicked her sleeve, turned around, and walked away, speaking in a frosty voice, “When we get back, you will write a letter of divorce for me. Holy Master Ma, you have a great and righteous justice, I’m afraid a lowly woman like me might drag you down in the future. So, let us go our separate ways and never cross paths again, lest I spoil your reputation one day.”

Cold sweat poured down Ma Qing’s forehead as he hurried to catch up with her, “Darling, why do you say something like this?”

He knew that the words he had spoken earlier to try and persuade Wen Zi Shan had greatly hurt his wife. [I was just saying that because of the situation. Why is she taking it so seriously?]

On the other side, Wen Zi Shan, who had been standing in silence for a long time, finally closed his eyes in pain. Despite hesitating for so long, he did not have the courage to chase after Yang Kai and Lei Gu and now, it was too late to do anything. He could only pin all his hopes on Yang Kai and pray that he could bring Gao Xue Ting back safely. It was just that the sliver of hope was too slim. Yang Kai’s strength might be extraordinary, but Lei Gu was not weak. Lei Gu was a Third-Order Emperor and Gao Xue Ting, who had been demonified, was also under his control. He simply couldn’t think of how Yang Kai had any means of getting Gao Xue Ting back safely.

Just as he was mulling over those thoughts, Wen Zi Shan sensed somebody walking over to his side and tugging at his sleeves. He opened his eyes and lowered his head to look, only to see a seven-or-eight-year-old little girl who was so delicate that she looked like she had been carved out of jade looking up at him with pure, clear eyes.

“You are…” He looked at her suspiciously. Even though she looked like a mere child, Wen Zi Shan did not dare to take her lightly. That was because he had seen this little girl in action just now. The aura coming from her was so dense that even he felt inferior to her. He did not understand why so many monsters had gathered around Yang Kai. Putting aside the ability to easily mobilize three Divine Spirits and thirty-two Monster Kings, even a little girl like this was extremely powerful. Not to mention, there was also that black puppy that could swallow Demon Qi. It was simply one weird thing after another.

“Do you want to follow them?” Liu Yan asked.

Wen Zi Shan’s expression brightened, “Can you track their whereabouts?”

Liu Yan shook her head, “I can’t.”

Wen Zi Shan’s eyes immediately dimmed again, but to his surprise, Liu Yan pointed to the side and continued, “But, he can!”

Looking in the direction she was pointing, he saw a Stone Man standing there quietly, grinning at him.

“Him?” He looked confused. This Stone Man seemed a little different from the other Stone Men, more agile and intelligent. When the Stone Man saw Wen Zi Shan looking at him, he beckoned, “Follow me!”

Then, he reached out and pointed at the three Divine Spirits, “The three of you come along too.”

Fan Wu and the two others glanced at each other but did not question any further. They simply nodded in agreement. After that, the Embodiment turned to leave. Liu Yan quickly followed and Wen Zi Shan no longer hesitated, following closely behind her. Behind them came the three Divine Spirits.

They moved as swift as the wind, the mountains and rivers passing by below them. This group of people all belonged to the strongest cultivators in the Star Boundary, so their flying speed was naturally not slow. After flying for a while, Wen Zi Shan spoke up suspiciously, “Is this the direction they went?”

“Shh!” Liu Yan turned her head and shushed him, raising a finger and pressing it against her lips.

Wen Zi Shan felt his face twitching slightly, but did not dare to ask any more questions. He had no choice except to follow them sullenly, hoping that they were going in the right direction.

Throughout their journey, the Embodiment took the lead while the rest of them did their best to conceal their auras while following behind him. He took many twists and turns, as if there was no pattern to his actions. Only Liu Yan and the Embodiment were unwavering in their faith while tracking Yang Kai down. Wen Zi Shan and the three Divine Spirits were completely clueless as to what was going on as they had neither sensed Yang Kai nor Lei Gu’s aura during this pursuit. Hence, they had no way of telling if they were heading in the right direction.

What made Wen Zi Shan even more anxious was that Embodiment would sometimes remain in a certain spot for a time before moving again. During this period, there were no signs that the Embodiment was searching for anything at all. It was almost as though he had gotten tired and simply decided to take a break before flying off in a random direction.

Meanwhile, Yang Kai strolled leisurely through the air with his hands behind his back ten thousand kilometres away. He was following closely behind Lei Gu. In the beginning, Lei Gu had tried to throw Yang Kai off his tracks; however, he realized that this was impossible after a few attempts.

Chapter 3267

Yang Kai could not compare to Lei Gu based on speed of flight alone as there was still a difference in cultivation of a Minor Realm between them; however, Yang Kai had his Space Techniques and could literally leap across space with them. Despite how Lei Gu desperately tried to put some distance between them, Yang Kai would always catch up in an instant. There was no way he could get away from Yang Kai; thus, he stopped his worthless efforts after trying several times.

Even so, Lei Gu was cautious enough to keep changing directions during his flight, and he even deliberately circled a few times around certain areas to make sure nobody was tracking them from behind.

On the other hand, Yang Kai left Lei Gu to do as he pleased and did not say anything, he simply followed Lei Gu at a distance not too far away.

Unfortunately for Lei Gu, he probably never imagined that Yang Kai had something like his Embodiment. Yang Kai didn’t even need to leave behind any clues as the connection between Soul and the Embodiment was the best guide that could ever exist. The Embodiment could sense his presence and vice versa from across vast distances, more than far enough for outsiders to never notice.

Lei Gu finally confirmed that there were no pursuers following behind them after two days. Then, he went all out and flew in a certain direction at full speed. He flew for another two more days before a wide swamp appeared in front of them. It was so vast that one could not see where the swamp ended.

[To think we ended up at the Southern Swamp.] Yang Kai did not know whether Lei Gu came here by accident or on purpose, but the Southern Swamp was where the first Demon Cave had appeared. Since Lei Gu came here, it was clearly not without reason. He either had other helpers hiding here and wanted to borrow their strength to deal with Yang Kai, or he wanted to use the topography here to conceal himself completely and escape. In either case, Yang Kai could not allow Lei Gu to proceed any further into the Southern Swamp; therefore, he moved to block Lei Gu’s path before he truly entered.

Lei Gu’s figure stopped abruptly, his large hand still pressed against the top of Gao Xue Ting’s head as he coldly snorted, “What are you trying to do?”

Yang Kai sighed lightly, “I’ve allowed you to travel tens of thousands of kilometres already, it’s time we put an end to this. I’ve fulfilled my end of our deal, now it’s your turn.”

Lei Gu calmly replied, “This is not enough!”

Yang Kai curled his lips, “You have been running for days and confirmed there are no pursuers other than me. Release Senior Sister Gao, and we can go our separate ways!”

Lei Gu scoffed, “I’ll be the one to decide when I release her. It’s not up to you to decide.”

Yang Kai became impatient, “Are you saying I have to keep following you around so long as you refuse to release her? Lei Gu, don’t go too far; otherwise, I might just doubt your sincerity. My patience is at its limit, if you refuse, then I can only make my move here and now.”

Lei Gu frowned. Turning his head, he looked around and muttered, “Well, we’re already here anyways, so I don’t think anybody will be chasing after me anymore.”

“Good, now return Senior Sister Gao to me.” Yang Kai stretched out his hand.

Lei Gu grinned, “I can give her back to you, but can you receive her? I don’t know where you get your confidence from, but it’s two against one right now. Aren’t you afraid this King might work together with your precious Senior Sister Gao to kill you?”

Yang Kai looked undisturbed, “You can go ahead and try!”

Lei Gu threw his head back and laughed at the sky, “Little brat, talent makes a person conceited. En, this King admires you very much. Why don’t you join the Demon Race instead? With your talent and ability, you will surely have a bright future. Becoming a Great Emperor won’t just be a faraway dream.”

Yang Kai wore a look of frustration, “Stop wasting my time. Hurry up and release her! Don’t force my hand!”

Lei Gu’s smile disappeared as he coldly snorted, “Since you insist… Here! Take her!” Saying so, he reached out and gently pushed Gao Xue Ting on the back. Following that, she flew towards Yang Kai.

Gao Xue Ting arrived in front of Yang Kai in an instant; however, the Demon Qi on the surface of her body suddenly swelled like mad before he could catch her. An incredibly dangerous aura spread out from all over her body and she even spread her arms wide as if she was going to embrace him.

“Shameless!” Yang Kai yelled angrily. He knew Lei Gu would never release Gao Xue Ting so easily. Just as Lei Gu mentioned before, he could control her and use her to fight Yang Kai. Even so, Yang Kai never imagined that Lei Gu would command Gao Xue Ting to self-destruct. If he allowed her to self-destruct, then everything he did until now would have been for nothing. Moreover, it was impossible for him to come out unscathed at such a close distance. The power behind the self-destruction of a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master was absolutely terrifying. Following that, Lei Gu would be able to take the opportunity to kill.

Fortunately, Yang Kai had not come unprepared. At a fleeting moment of anger, Yang Kai’s left eye transformed into a golden shaft of light. His Spiritual Energy surged outward like a tidal wave and enveloped Gao Xue Ting completely within it. At the same time, he spread his palms and summoned the Sealed World Bead which he gripped tightly. Controlling the Sealed World Bead, he opened an entrance and a huge vortex appeared in front of his palm.

Gao Xue Ting, whose body was churning with Demon Qi and who had fallen into a state of danger, plunged headfirst into the vortex as though she was swallowed up by an invisible beast and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, Yang Kai sent his consciousness into the Sealed World Bead without pausing and urged the power of the Small Sealed World to suppress Gao Xue Ting, only feeling relieved when he saw the Demon Qi on the surface of her body showing signs of stabilizing.

A huge force struck Yang Kai’s chest and abdomen with a loud bang at that moment and he felt an intense pain spreading across his body, causing his consciousness to abruptly return to the outside. Coughing up a mouthful of Golden Blood, Yang Kai’s face paled and looked rather weak. Nevertheless, he took advantage of the impact to withdraw a few thousand metres, opening up some distance from his attacker.

A few thousand metres away, Lei Gu looked at Yang Kai in amazement. He was holding a ball hammer in his hands, and his eyes were filled with surprise. Gao Xue Ting had disappeared right under his nose, making him doubt his own eyes.

Using Gao Xue Ting’s self-destruction to cause some damage to Yang Kai, then seizing the opportunity to take Yang Kai’s life could be said to have been a foolproof plan unless Yang Kai kept his distance from her without regard for her life; however, Lei Gu saw that Yang Kai showed no signs of avoiding her. Instead, Gao Xue Ting abruptly disappeared just before self-destructing, causing Lei Gu’s plans to go awry. Be that as it may, he reacted quickly and swiftly continued with the second part of the plan even though an unexpected accident had occurred. Taking advantage of the moment when Yang Kai was distracted, he struck him with his ball hammer.

Needless to say, Lei Gu had not held back with his attack, and it should have been absolutely impossible for a Second-Order Emperor Realm to survive such a blow. Yang Kai would definitely be smashed into pieces. Unfortunately, something even more unexpected occurred. Yang Kai didn’t die. The sound of bones breaking rang out loudly, a large indentation appeared in his chest, and his aura weakened considerably. Nevertheless, he survived.

It was at this moment that Lei Gu realized he had underestimated the toughness of Yang Kai’s physique. He had once seen Yang Kai in his Half-Dragon Form, so he immediately understood that he had underestimated the heritage of a Half-Dragon’s Body. However, now that things had come to this, Lei Gu had no intention of backing down either. [How long can he last with such a heavily wounded body even if he has his Space Techniques? The reason the plan for the Southern Territory failed is all because of him! How can I let him go free? He must be killed, here and now!]

Their gazes met. Lei Gu’s eyes were cold and stern, but also burned with murderous intent. On the other hand, Yang Kai’s aura was weak and his complexion was pale. Even so, he was smirking. When he grinned though, he accidentally moved in a way that aggravated his wounds; thus, he spewed out another mouthful of Golden Blood.

Lei Gu lifted his ball hammer and pointed at Yang Kai, “Little brat, you ruined this King’s plans! For that reason, today will be the day you die!” As soon as the words left his mouth, the ball hammer turned into a stream of light and appeared above Yang Kai’s head. Wrapped in a Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering power, the hammer smashed down, shattering the surrounding space before it even landed.

Yang Kai took a deep breath and lifted his hand, summoning out the Mountains and Rivers Bell to block the ball hammer.

A loud clang rang out, followed by a shock wave visible to the naked eye that spread wildly, seemingly splitting the world into two like an invisible blade. The Mountains and Rivers Bell flashed wildly and was sent flying, but the ball hammer’s attack was successfully blocked.

Unfortunately, Yang Kai couldn’t withstand this impact in his injured state and his body began to fall, causing him to plunge into the muddy swamp waters. He was a complete mess, but he did not dare to remain in one place for long. Thus, he hurriedly rushed into the sky. Whilst collecting and stowing away the Mountains and Rivers Bell, he turned and fled in the direction he came from.

Even a tiger could be bullied by a dog if it leaves the mountains, and a Dragon may be teased by a shrimp if it finds itself in shallow waters. When the strong become weak, even the weak can take advantage and gain from it. At this moment, Yang Kai’s heart was full of grief and anger.

If he had been at his peak, he would not have been afraid of Lei Gu even if the latter was a Third-Order Emperor. If he was lucky, he might even be able to kill Lei Gu; however, he was distracted for a moment when he had to suppress Gao Xue Ting and prevent her from self-destructing. During that moment, he was hit in the chest by Lei Gu’s Emperor Artifact. His internal organs had all been shifted, and if not for his Half-Dragon Body being able to withstand the force of that blow, he would have been smashed to pieces already. Still, the injuries he sustained were rather serious. How could it be so easy to take the full-powered blow of an Emperor Artifact wielded by a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master? The flow of Emperor Qi in his body was unstable, and it was inconvenient for him to use his strength at the moment. Even if he used the Mountains and Rivers Bell to block his opponent’s attack, it was only dragging out his final moments.

If he did not escape immediately, he would lose his chance to escape as soon as Lei Gu caught up to him. Yang Kai was feeling quite depressed at the moment, [If I had known this would happen earlier, I would have hidden Liu Yan in the Small Sealed World. Lei Gu would be a dead man walking with Liu Yan, that little killer, around. Now, I can only buy time until my reinforcements arrive. That will mark the end of Lei Gu. It’s too bad I didn’t have the chance to kill him myself, but for now, I can only keep him occupied.]

While flying, Yang Kai suddenly heard a loud noise coming from behind and felt a terrifying pressure descending from the sky. He looked up and had a sudden impulse to curse. Dense hammer shadows were falling down from above. It was clear that Lei Gu was truly incensed and had no plans of letting Yang Kai leave this place alive.

Yang Kai took a deep breath, enduring the pain all over his body and pushed his Space Principles. As the hammer shadows rained down from the sky, they smashed huge holes in the ground one after another. Simultaneously, Yang Kai was smashed to pieces. However, Lei Gu suddenly turned his gaze to the side and looked in a different direction.

Not too far away, Yang Kai’s figure appeared out of nowhere. It was obvious he had used his teleportation Divine Ability to avoid receiving that fatal attack.

Lei Gu was so furious that he roared. He had long heard that those who were proficient in the Dao of Space were unparalleled when it came to escaping. At this moment, he realized that this reputation was well deserved. At the same time, he also inferred from the distance of the teleportation that Yang Kai was an arrow at the end of its flight. Yang Kai was incapable of using similar means of escape for more than a few more times; therefore, he immediately soared into the sky and chased Yang Kai like maggots on rotting bones, refusing to let Yang Kai escape. He Roared, “Little brat, where are you trying to run!?”

Rather than becoming angry, Yang Kai was happy when he heard those words. He had been a little worried that Lei Gu would not come after him. If that had happened instead, he would have needed to turn back to keep Lei Gu’s attention on him. That would have been far too dangerous in his current state since he could not fight with his full strength.

Chapter 3268

[Fortunately, Lei Gu seems fixated on killing me. He has no intention of letting me escape, which honestly saves me some effort.] Yang Kai took some time to grab a handful of Spirit Pills and stuffed them into his mouth. Then, he cursed Lei Gu incoherently with his mouth full, “Are you sick in the head!? If you continue chasing me, I won’t hold back anymore!”

Lei Gu sneered, “Little brat, today next year will be your death anniversary! Are you satisfied with the burial place I chose for you?” While speaking, the ball hammer in his hand turned into many streams of light and shot out.

Yang Kai could only dodge those attacks awkwardly as he had no way of retaliating whatsoever. Those attacks brushed past his body dangerously on several occasions, and he only managed to evade them by using his Space Divine Abilities. Any other person with such a heavily injured body would not have been able to escape from the fury of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Nevertheless, it was a miserable and pathetic sight to watch, which put Lei Gu in a good mood.

Back at Orthodoxy Temple, Yang Kai had summoned hundreds of reinforcements to surround Lei Gu. Now the tables had turned, and Lei Gu could finally rub it in Yang Kai’s face as to how unpredictable the future could be.

Still, he had to admit that Yang Kai’s survival skills were first-class. His Space Divine Ability was unpredictable when used and truly made one envious. If not for the fact that Lei Gu knew not everybody could cultivate Space Principles, he might have spared Yang Kai’s life in order to capture him alive and thoroughly interrogate him about his specific cultivation methods. It was also precisely because of this that Lei Gu’s determination to kill Yang Kai grew stronger and stronger. If he did not take the opportunity to kill Yang Kai now, he might not get another chance to do so again in the future.

Despite how long the cat-and-mouse chase had been going on, Yang Kai was still alive and kicking. The tenacity of his vitality was beyond imagination. Even so, Lei Gu could see that Yang Kai would cough up a mouthful of Golden Blood every time he used that instantaneous movement Secret Technique. It was too heavy a burden and Yang Kai was unable to withstand the cost for much longer.

“Little brat, this King can give you a painless death if you stop right now, but if you continue to run, this King will make you beg for death!” Lei Gu threatened while pursuing.

Yang Kai was so furious that smoke seemed to be coming out of his ears as he snapped back with a grievous look, “The world is vast, but if you don’t run now, you won’t get another chance to escape again! Did you really think I came here alone!?”

Upon hearing those words, Lei Gu looked shocked and involuntarily paused in the middle of controlling his Emperor Artifact. Nevertheless, he soon came back to his senses and roared in anger, “It doesn’t matter how glib-tongued you are! Don’t even think about escaping alive today!”

He believed that Yang Kai was merely bluffing. [I’m sure there were other pursuers behind us when we first left Orthodoxy Temple together, but it’s impossible that anybody managed to track us after all the effort I put in these past few days to erase my tracks. Even if we had pursuers, they would long ago have been thrown off my trail. This boy is simply trying to scare me! It’s obvious that he is a spent arrow that has reached the end of its flight!]

“Good, good, good! You don’t seem to believe me! Well, just you wait and see!” Yang Kai pressed his hand against his chest. Feeling a strong wind coming from behind, he hurriedly manipulated the Space Principles to repeat his same old trick again; however, when he attempted to teleport, an intense pain spread from his chest and left him feeling breathless. Even the Emperor Qi circulation in his body became chaotic, and as a result, he couldn’t use his Space Divine Ability.

This development shocked him greatly. His Embodiment had already laid out a trap with Liu Yan and the others up ahead and was waiting for him to lead Lei Gu into it, but if he was killed by Lei Gu in this place, all this effort would be in vain.

This was neither the first time Yang Kai suffered such severe injuries nor the first time he found himself in such a miserable state while being chased; however, this was his first time coming so close to death.

At the critical moment, he spun around abruptly and exhausted all his strength to slash the air with the Myriads Sword. All the colours in the world faded, and only the light of this sword remained. When the ball hammer smashed down, the sword wave collapsed and blood sprayed out. The sounds of bones breaking came from both Yang Kai’s arms, and his entire body was thrown backwards like a sack.

Despite adding new injuries on top of his old injuries, Yang Kai made the most accurate response at the most critical moment and managed to save himself from certain death. Borrowing the force of the ball hammer’s blow, he opened some distance between himself and Lei Gu. He then flicked his hand and brought out the two Wood Spirits from the Sealed World Bead.

It was obvious that Mu Zhu and Mu Lu did not understand what was going on and thus had blank looks on their faces when they appeared.

“Help me!” Yang Kai struggled to speak, a spurt of fresh blood coming from his mouth as he did.

Mu Zhu and Mu Lu were shocked by the sight but quickly turned to look at Lei Gu who was chasing them from behind. How could they not realize that Yang Kai was being hunted down after seeing all this? Glancing at each other, they did not hesitate to use a Secret Technique and their bodies suddenly dissipated into bits of light that gathered behind Yang Kai’s shoulder blades. A moment later, a set of delicate wings appeared behind him.

Whenever the Wood Spirits and the Stone Spirits fought together side by side, the Wood Spirits would use this method to assist the Stone Spirits, giving them the ability to fly, so this was not an unfamiliar tactic. With a flutter of those wings, Yang Kai shot forward with an incredible speed like an arrow shot from a string.

Lei Gu, who was chasing Yang Kai from behind, was startled at this sight and stared extremely suspiciously at the scene before him. [What was that? I was just about to kill him! How did he suddenly grow a pair of wings!? Preposterous! Worse, his speed increased dramatically now that he has that pair of wings!]

Furious, Lei Gu stowed away his ball hammer and pushed the Demon Qi in his body hard. It was unclear what Secret Technique he used, but he shot forward at a high speed in the next moment, stubbornly pursuing Yang Kai’s trail.

Mu Zhu and Mu Lu were clueless about the situation. All they knew was that Yang Kai was evading capture, so they used all their strength to fly. Unfortunately, Lei Gu was determined to kill Yang Kai, so how could they shake him off their trail? The distance between the two sides quickly narrowed, causing the two Wood Spirits to feel anxious. In response, the wings they transformed into flapped faster and faster.

Yang Kai weakly directed them towards a certain spot before closing his eyes to circulate his Secret Art and refine the medicinal efficacies of the Spirit Pills he swallowed a moment ago. A quarter of an hour passed as the cat-and-mouse chase continued. When they passed a valley surrounded by mountains though, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes.

Behind them, Lei Gu felt alarm bells ringing in his heart all of a sudden when he flew into the mountain valley. His entire body was practically screaming with a sense of extreme danger and crisis, which caused him to stop suddenly and look around with a vigilant expression.

A thousand meters away, Yang Kai also came to a halt and turned around, spat out a mouthful of blood, and stared at Lei Gu leisurely, “Go on; chase me! Why aren’t you chasing me anymore?”

A quarter-hour of recovery combined with his own powerful restorative abilities gave him some slight relief, and although he was still far from healed, he was not as weak as he had been before.

Lei Gu looked at Yang Kai coldly when he heard the words before hurriedly turning around to leave, but at that moment, a figure shot out from behind him. Fan Wu blocked Lei Gu’s path of retreat, standing there with his hands behind his back as he flatly declared, “This path is closed.”

Lei Gu’s eyes narrowed.

Without breaking a stride, he swerved to the left only to have the same thing happen again. Another figure appeared in that direction. It was a woman dressed in white palace clothes. 

Lei Gu looked to the right and similarly saw a man with a lean body and short stature appear as silently as a ghost.

His heart sank deep into the abyss at the sight of these three. He knew who they were as Yang Kai had specially introduced them to him a few days earlier. These three were all Divine Spirits.

[How is this possible!? They were waiting to ambush me here! Judging from Yang Kai’s previous actions, I was truly foolish to allow him to lead me directly into a trap like this.] There was only one thing he couldn’t understand. [How did they communicate with each other in secret? I didn’t see Yang Kai taking out any communication artifacts nor did I detect any traces of Yang Kai leaving behind clues.]

[Three Divine Spirits…] Lei Gu couldn’t even bring himself to smile bitterly. One Divine Spirit was already too much for him, much less three of them. At that moment, even his guts were filled with regret. [If I had known this was going to happen, I would have escaped directly into the Southern Swamp. Why would I have tried to hunt Yang Kai down? Now what? I fell headfirst into his trap and won’t be able to escape anymore…]

Even at such a critical juncture where his life was at stake, Lei Gu remained decisive. There were Divine Spirits to his left, right, and behind him. All three of them were not opponents he could win against. Thus, he rushed forward as it was the only path he had left if he wanted to survive. Yang Kai in his current state was certainly no match for Lei Gu at all.

Yang Kai remained motionless as Lei Gu rushed at him aggressively; however, a sardonic smile lifted the corner of his lips.

Lei Gu immediately had a bad feeling as he realized that Yang Kai was hiding a trump card still, but he was an arrow released from its string already and could not stop anymore. The Demon Qi around him flared and transformed into a giant palm that tried to grab Yang Kai.

[As long as I capture this boy, I can make those three Divine Spirits hesitant to act. That way, I can do the same thing as before and get away from here safely.]

The giant Demon Qi palm swept through the air, but just as it was about to capture Yang Kai, a petite figure suddenly appeared from behind his back. That figure was a seven-or-eight-year-old girl that was beautiful and adorable. However, what the little girl did next scared Lei Gu so much that his soul nearly escaped from his body.

Opening her mouth, the little girl blew out a breath of raging flames that seemed capable of burning everything in the world to ashes. When the giant Demon Qi palm came into contact with those flames, it was reduced to cinders. That wasn’t all; the flames turned into fire blades mid-air and struck Lei Gu.

An aura of death enveloped Lei Gu, and his expression changed drastically. Although he couldn’t figure out what kind of fire this was, he knew that he could not afford to be touched by it.

Summoning out his ball hammer again, Lei Gu made it expand to the size of a house and used it to block above his head. The fire blades slashed against the ball hammer but failed to break through its defences. However, Lei Gu noticed that a small flame was still burning on the ball hammer when he withdrew his Emperor Artifact, and no matter how much energy he poured into it, he couldn’t put out that fire. That fire continued to burn the ball hammer until it wildly flashed.

“I told you; I won’t hold back anymore if you continue chasing me, but you refused to listen to *Cough, cough, cough…*” Yang Kai clutched at his chest as he choked. He wanted to taunt Lei Gu a little more, but unfortunately, his body refused to do what his head wanted, and he had no choice but to give up on that thought.

Lei Gu’s face turned ashen. He, too, knew that there was no way he could escape from this place alive. The hatred in his heart was so strong that nothing could ever soothe it.

“Kill him!” Yang Kai waved his hand gently.

Four figures rushed towards Lei Gu from all sides, their thick murderous intent locking him in place.

Cornered, Lei Gu held up the ball hammer and roared, “The Demon Race shall never die!”

With that defiant shout, the Demon Qi in his body surged wildly and his body swelled up rapidly.

When Fan Wu and the others saw this, they all stopped in their tracks and hurriedly retreated.

Chapter 3269

Following a loud explosion, Lei Gu exploded into a cloud of blood.

Fan Wu and the others were shocked and impressed by his resolve. Even if they knew they were bound to die, not many in this world would choose to self-destruct. If they had been in his shoes, they would surely choose to die fighting. Even if the final outcome was predetermined, who would know what the results might be if they didn’t at least try to resist?

[Is the Demon Race so fanatical?] The three Divine Spirits shuddered at the thought. While they were caught up in their thoughts, Yang Kai suddenly flew down weakly and began searching among Lei Gu’s remains.

Luan Feng frowned and landed lightly next to him, asking in a somewhat annoyed tone, “What are you looking for? Why aren’t you healing your wounds?”

Yang Kai coughed lightly and explained, “As long as their Demon Heart remains, a Demon will not die!”

Back in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, Yang Kai had dealt with the Demon Race for years and understood just how tenacious the Demon Race’s vitality was. Even if the body had been destroyed, they could revive again as long as their Demon Heart was not destroyed; therefore, one must completely destroy all Demon Hearts to really kill those from the Demon Race.

Although Lei Gu had resolutely chosen to self-destruct, Yang Kai still had to guard against him feigning death to escape. Fortunately, he did not find anything similar to a Demon Heart after searching around for a while. It would seem that being possessed by a Demon Spirit was a little different from being born as a member of the Demon Race.

Nevertheless, he made Liu Yan burn down the entire area just to be safe. Only then did he let out a breath of relief. Even if Lei Gu planned to escape just now, there was no way he could revive again after being incinerated by Liu Yan’s Phoenix Fire.

Then, the Embodiment and Wen Zi Shan came over from the sidelines. They had remained in hiding a little further away so that they could guard against Lei Gu’s escape. Who could have known that they would have no chance to participate? 

Nonetheless, it was only thanks to the connection between the Embodiment and Yang Kai that they managed to pull off this trap safely and catch Lei Gu off guard. If that were not the case, Yang Kai would not have agreed to follow Lei Gu alone so readily. The Embodiment had been his greatest trump card.

When the few people gathered, they didn’t say much. Yang Kai was severely injured and required immediate treatment; however, he made a single statement to Wen Zi Shan before disappearing, “She’s fine…”

Yang Kai immediately handed the Sealed World Bead to Liu Yan for safekeeping before entering the Small Sealed World to heal his injuries. The existence of the Sealed World Bead was his biggest secret and trump card, but there was not as much of a need to deliberately keep it secret anymore as he had grown stronger. Besides, Fan Wu and the others would not publicize this matter, so it wasn’t a big deal if the secret of the Sealed World Bead was exposed to them. Likewise, Wen Zi Shan was someone he could trust.

Wen Zi Shan wanted to ask Yang Kai more about Gao Xue Ting, but he couldn’t find the opportunity to do so. Before he could ask anything, Yang Kai had already disappeared into the strange bead. Such an item must be one of Yang Kai’s cards and Wen Zi Shan was tactful enough to not pry further. Nonetheless, he knew that answers would have to wait.

Unfortunately, he could not simply just stand around waiting. He was still a Sect Master and had duties to perform, especially during such a crisis. What’s more, he was not the only one eager to go back.

The thirty-two Monster Kings were still back at Orthodoxy Temple, and who knows what sort of trouble they would have caused by now? One should not be fooled by their appearances. Although they acted docile in front of Yang Kai, each one of them was truly an unruly individual; therefore, nobody wanted to stay here for too long.

It was then that the Embodiment spoke up. He told Wen Zi Shan to head back first while the rest would stay and check the area to make certain that Lei Gu was truly dead.

Inside the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai appeared in the medicine garden and sat cross-legged before the Immortal Tree while Mu Zhu and Mu Lu used their Secret Technique to guide its essence to treat his injuries.

He had used the Immortal Tree to treat his injuries many times before, but he mostly consumed the leaves directly. There were not many leaves on the Immortal Tree in the first place, so it was almost bald after it was plucked over the years by him. He didn’t dare to touch the rest of its leaves for fear that he might damage the foundation of the Immortal Tree. Fortunately, the Wood Spirit Clan’s mysterious methods could pull the vitality from the Immortal Tree and pour it into his body without harming the Immortal Tree.

Supplemented by his strong physique and powerful restoration ability, Yang Kai was almost fully recovered within three days and felt delighted by the speed of recovery. Without the assistance of the two Wood Spirits, it would have taken him at least a month to recover from the injuries he sustained this time.

In his joy, he generously praised Mu Zhu and Mu Lu for their magical methods. He complimented them so much that the two Wood Spirits were blushing furiously and feeling extremely shy.

After he recovered, he finally had the time to deal with Gao Xue Ting. Gao Xue Ting had been infected by Demon Qi and both her body and mind had been demonified. Afterwards, she was controlled by Lei Gu and nearly self-destructed. It was only thanks to Yang Kai pulling her into the Small Sealed World and suppressing her in time that she managed to survive.

With a flicker, Yang Kai came to the area where a number of houses remained. Gao Xue Ting was currently being suppressed in one of these huts. Pushing open the door and entering, Yang Kai was slightly taken aback because she suddenly turned to look at him with a pair of pitch-black eyes when she noticed somebody approaching her. Then, she made a strange sound from her throat and looked at him with a hideous expression as if she wanted to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

That change in her behaviour made him frown. Based on his previous observations, the Demons in Orthodoxy Temple were divided into two types. One was like Lei Gu and Feng Ming who were possessed by Demon Spirits. These Demons were complete Demons and possessed sentience. They were also fully dedicated to the Demon Race.

The other type was those like Gao Xue Ting and the others from the Southern Territory that had been infected by Demon Qi and underwent Demon Transformation. They did not have the ability to act and think independently and needed to be controlled by the former type of Demon.

Now, however, Gao Xue Ting was clearly showing some signs of independent thought. However, that was not her own consciousness. Judging from that hideous expression, it was a reaction formed after she was demonified.

Yang Kai walked over to her and looked at her with a complicated expression. He called out to her a few times in a soft voice, but she did not react at all. She only continued to growl and struggle against her restraints. If not for the fact that her cultivation had been suppressed, she might have already lunged at him.

It made Yang Kai wonder whether the rest of the Demons with no consciousness would also become like this, acting based on their instincts, if enough time had passed after they were demonified. If that was the case, then the situation at Orthodoxy Temple might be a little tricky.

No longer hesitating, Yang Kai’s aura changed abruptly. It became ancient and desolate, almost as if he had walked out of a scroll depicting the primordial world. He formed a seal with his hands and began chanting at the same time. Following that, a ray of light penetrated Gao Xue Ting’s body. It was the Bloodlust Spell, one of the most commonly used Shamanic Spells and a method proven to be very effective at resisting Demon Qi corruption.

Red light shone brightly in an instant as the Blood Essence in Gao Xue Ting’s body was stimulated. She looked like she was covered in a layer of red light, and a tinge of pain flashed across her face. Concurrently, the boundless black Qi oozing out from the surface of her body intertwined with the red light as both tried to destroy each other.

Then, Yang Kai began chanting the Demon Exorcism Spell. A cold light descended from the sky, cleansing both Gao Xue Ting’s body and her mind. A hissing sound rang out as wisps of black smoke escaped from her body as if it had met its natural enemy, soon dissipating into nothing.

Yang Kai stood in front of Gao Xue Ting with a solemn expression, impatiently casting the Demon Exorcism Spell. As time passed, the Demon Qi flowing out of her body became less and less dense and the black and red light that had been flickering unsteadily began to show signs that the red light was taking dominance.

Finally, the blackness in her eyes faded away and she blinked blankly as her vision focused. Soon after, Gao Xue Ting saw Yang Kai standing in front of her with a smile, a peculiar ancient aura lingering around his figure.

“Junior Brother…” Gao Xue Ting called out softly, seemingly extremely weak.

“Senior Sister Gao, you’re awake!” Yang Kai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After such a long delay, he had been worried that she could no longer be saved. Fortunately, the Ancient Shamanic Spells seemed to still be quite effective against Demon Qi so his efforts had not been in vain.

“Why are you…” Gao Xue Ting was still feeling very confused about her situation. She only knew that her entire body was very weak at the moment. Moreover, traces of an unsettling power remained in her meridians and her body.

“Senior Sister, do you remember what happened?” he asked while looking at her.

“What happened…” She frowned, her thoughts a confused mess.

“At Orthodoxy Temple during the Southern Territory Martial Gathering!” He reminded her.

Gao Xue Ting was jerked awake when she heard those words and her pupils contracted as she anxiously said, “There’s a conspiracy going on at Orthodoxy Temple! Junior Brother, hurry up and warn the Temple Master!”

Yang Kai hurriedly comforted her, “Senior Sister Gao, calm down. The conspiracy at Orthodoxy Temple has been thwarted. Lei Gu and Feng Ming have also been brought to justice.”

“Lei Gu and Feng Ming are dead?” Her expression changed before quickly asking, “What were they planning?”

Yang Kai countered her question with another question, “How much do you remember, Senior Sister?”

She shook her head slowly, “I’m not sure. That night, Junior Brother Luo and I received an invitation from Elder Feng… Feng Ming to visit his residence to discuss our cultivation experiences. More than twenty others were there with us, but after drinking something, we all fell asleep and couldn’t wake up.”

Yang Kai nodded lightly. Whatever it was that demonified Gao Xue Ting and the others should have been in that drink. He had previously wondered how a group of Emperor Realm Masters could fall to the Demon Transformation so easily. As long as one of them noticed a hint of something strange, they only needed to push their Emperor Qi to defend themselves. That should have allowed them to fight back to some extent. In the worst case, they could still have raised a fuss and alerted others.

It now appeared that Feng Ming had used a method similar to poisoning to inject Gao Xue Ting and the others with Demon Qi from the inside. There was no way they could have defended against that and probably never would have imagined that Feng Ming would do something like this. After all, they had all known each other for many years, making it easy for Feng Ming to deceive them and get them to lower their defenceless.

“Where is Junior Brother Luo?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Yang Kai shook his head. He had not seen Luo Chen since that night at the mountain peak ambush and only knew he too had been demonified.

“And where is this place?”

Yang Kai smiled, “It’s a Sealed World. Senior Sister Gao, please rest peacefully. We will arrive back at Orthodoxy Temple soon.” After saying that, he took out a bottle of Emperor Grade recovery pills and placed it next to her. She had been corrupted by Demon Qi, which damaged her foundation, and she nearly self-destructed under Lei Gu’s command. Although Yang Kai had forcibly suppressed this self-destruct, Gao Xue Ting would still have suffered some damage.

She did not act reserved around him, picked up the jade bottle, took out a Spirit Pill, and stuffed it into her mouth. While refining the medicinal efficacies of the pill, she asked, “What exactly happened?”

“It’s a long story,” Yang Kai sighed. Sitting cross-legged opposite her, he briefly recounted everything that happened over the last few days. Her expression changed constantly as she listened as she never imagined that the Southern Territory Martial Gathering would be involved in such a terrifying conspiracy.

Yang Kai’s tone was calm and collected, but nevertheless, Gao Xue Ting realized that if he had not come along on this trip and mysteriously rallied a large number of reinforcements from the Northern and Eastern Territories, the Southern Territory would have been finished. If Orthodoxy Temple’s conspiracy had succeeded, there would have been hundreds of Emperor Realm Masters and tens of thousands of elite who experienced demonification who would then scatter throughout the Southern Territory. In time, the entire Southern Territory would have been turned into a Demon Paradise.

He appeared in the next chapter as though he knew nothing and wasn’t here.

Original parts changed:

Then, Embodiment sneaked over from the side. He had remained in hiding a little further away so that he could guard against Lei Gu’s escape. Who could have known that he would have no chance to shine? Still, it was only thanks to the connection between him and Yang Kai that they managed to pull off this trap safely and catch Lei Gu off guard. If that were not the case, Yang Kai would not have agreed to follow Lei Gu alone so readily. Embodiment had been his greatest trump card.

When the few people gathered together, they didn’t say much. Yang Kai was severely injured and required immediate treatment. They also still had to clean up the mess back at Orthodoxy Temple. The 32 Monster Kings were still at that place. Who knows what sort of trouble they caused by now? One should not be fooled by their appearances. Although they acted docile in front of Yang Kai, each one of them was truly an unruly individual. Therefore, nobody wanted to stay here for long and immediately returned in the direction they came.

Meanwhile, Yang Kai handed the Sealed World Bead to Liu Yan for safekeeping before hiding in the Small Sealed World to heal his injuries. The existence of the Sealed World Bead was his biggest secret and trump card, but it was no longer a need to deliberately keep it secret anymore as he grew stronger and stronger over time. Besides, Fan Wu and the others would not publicize this matter, so it wasn’t a big deal if the secret of the Sealed World Bead was exposed to them.

There was no need to explain as Liu Yan and the others travelled back to Orthodoxy Temple. On the other hand, Yang Kai came to the medicine garden and sat cross-legged under the Immortal Tree while Mu Zhu and Mu Lu used their Secret Technique to guide the essence of the Immortal Tree to treat his injuries.

Chapter 3270

Orthodoxy Temple was one of the top three Sects in the Southern Territory, but it was now a chaotic mess. There were broken ruins everywhere and traces of the great battle from before were clearly visible.

The remaining cultivators camped separately on the numerous mountain peaks in the area. All their faces were filled with a lingering sense of fear. They couldn’t help shuddering slightly whenever they recalled the experience they went through over the past few days.

On the other hand, the people from the Northern Territory tirelessly went around to check on some of the Emperor Realm Masters of the Southern Territory. The thirty-two Monster Kings from the Ancient Wild Lands occupied an entire Spirit Peak alone. They had managed to procure a lot of food and wine from somewhere and they were celebrating merrily, having the time of their lives. Their celebrative atmosphere formed a stark contrast with the gloom and depression among those from the Southern Territory. To those of the Monster Race, the life and death of these Humans were none of their concern. They would never have intervened in the affairs of the Southern Territory if they had not followed Yang Kai here.

Meanwhile, the people of the Southern Territory were glad that the current situation between the Humans and the Monster Kings was only as such. It was no lie to say that each and every one of those Monster Kings was not to be trifled with. Moreover, most of the Monster Race had innately violent personalities. Conflicts might arise if they were to co-mingle with the Humans, and there was nobody here that could stop them if it came to that; thus, nobody objected to their actions; they could drink and have fun all they want if that was what they wanted to do.

A few days passed just like that. Murong Xiao Xiao quietly floated in mid-air and monitored the surroundings for any commotion. All of a sudden, her expression became stern as she carefully studied something that appeared on the horizon. A moment later, she happily shouted downward, “They’re back!”

*Shua…* 

Wen Zi Shan’s figure suddenly appeared beside her. He looked nervously in that direction and saw several figures rushing towards them at a high speed. Yang Kai was in the lead, followed by the seven-or-eight-year-old little girl, then the three great Divine Spirits of the Eastern Territory, and… no one else. Seeing this, Wen Zi Shan’s complexion suddenly became as pale as could be, and his fists clenched tightly together.

Similarly, Murong Xiao Xiao seemed to have realized something and her pretty face changed slightly, her eyes reddening.

“Temple Master!” Yang Kai flew over to Wen Zi Shan and cupped his fists. He then noticed that Wen Zi Shan and Murong Xiao Xiao’s expressions were a little off, so he couldn’t help feeling worried for a moment, “What’s wrong?”

Wen Zi Shan hesitated a moment before speaking up, “You’ve worked hard.” He then opened his mouth again as if he had a question he wanted to ask but didn’t dare to, lest he heard an answer he did not want to hear.

Murong Xiao Xiao asked the question on his behalf in a choked-up voice, “Where is Senior Sister Gao?”

Only then did Yang Kai understand why these two had such solemn expressions. It turned out to be related to Gao Xue Ting’s safety. His expression became serious, and he said in a low voice, “Senior Sister Gao, she…”

Upon hearing those words, Murong Xiao Xiao promptly covered her mouth with her hands as large, pea-like tears slid down her cheeks as she broke down in tears.

Yang Kai instantly felt speechless. [I haven’t even finished talking. Why are you crying? I already told him before that she is fine… He should have shared this piece of information with you. Why are you immediately assuming the worst?]

Turning to glance at Wen Zi Shan, he discovered that Wen Zi Shan had an extremely mournful expression that looked more sorrowful than death itself, he even swayed unsteadily on his feet as though he would collapse at any time.

“Senior Sister Gao was injured, but it’s nothing too serious.” Yang Kai finally finished his sentence. At the same time, he stretched out his hand to summon Gao Xue Ting from the Small Sealed World.

Gao Xue Ting looked a little confused, suddenly being brought to a new place, but she quickly pushed her Emperor Qi to steady herself. Lifting her head to look around, she asked curiously, “Junior Sister, what happened to you?”

Murong Xiao Xiao’s tears were still flowing down her face, but her eyes widened and she looked at Gao Xue Ting stupidly for a moment before she burst into laughter and called out softly, “Senior Sister Gao!”

Gao Xue Ting nodded lightly before looking at Wen Zi Shan and furrowed her brow slightly, “And what’s wrong with you?”

Wen Zi Shan gulped with some difficulty and walked over to her slowly, looking as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. He finally came to a standstill when he stood in front of her, then he reached out a hand to stroke her face.

A blush instantly crept onto Gao Xue Ting’s face as she leaned back slightly and bit her red lips lightly, “What are you doing?”

“Don’t move!” Wen Zi Shan shouted, causing her body to stiffen as she obediently stayed still and allowed that large hand to press against half of her face. A slight tremor came from that hand, making her feel confused, but when she realized that he was tremendously worried about her safety, a shy expression immediately appeared in her eyes. Even so, her heart felt incredibly warm.

[How many years has it been since he last looked so worried? The last time was probably during that incident when I was just a child where I snuck out to play and nearly got myself eaten by a Monster Beast…] Lost in her memories, Gao Xue Ting felt like time had reversed for a moment as bits and pieces of memories of their time together over hundreds of years flashed through her mind.

In the next moment, he pinched her cheek hard as though he wanted to pull her flesh off and with widened eyes he asked anxiously, “Does it hurt?”

Yang Kai, who had been watching the show from the side with great relish, palmed his forehead and couldn’t bear to look straight at them anymore.

The blush receded from Gao Xue Ting’s face and an icy cold light flashed from her eyes. Her leg came out from under her skirt and swiftly kicked Wen Zi Shan in the stomach, sending him flying with a loud bam. Her expression remained frosty as she coldly snorted, “Does it hurt?”

Wen Zi Shan doubled over in pain, his hand clutching at his abdomen. Even so, he was smiling happily, “It hurts! It hurts! It hurts to death!”

“What is wrong with you!?” She rubbed at her cheek and turned to look at Murong Xiao Xiao, “I’m fine. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

Murong Xiao Xiao nodded repeatedly and vigorously like a chicken pecking at rice. A moment later, her expression darkened again, “Senior Brother Luo, he… he fell.”

Yang Kai’s expression shifted slightly, “Senior Brother Luo died?”

Murong Xiao Xiao nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks again. Although Yang Kai had suspected as much, he still couldn’t help feeling a little forlorn when he heard the news. He and Luo Chen had not interacted much, but they were both from Azure Sun Temple after all. It was only natural to feel a little saddened by this news.

“What about Xiao Bai?” Yang Kai asked. Although he was sure that what he ‘killed’ before was just an illusion, he didn’t know the specific details about how Xiao Bai Yi was faring.

Murong Xiao Xiao replied, “Senior Brother Xiao was slightly injured, but it’s nothing serious.”

At that moment, Wen Zi Shan regained his usual composure and sighed softly, “The Southern Territory… Has suffered heavy losses in this incident.”

Yang Kai raised his gaze and looked at the people down below. Sweeping the surroundings with his Divine Sense, he got a vague grasp of the current situation. Great losses were certainly suffered. Approximately a third of the several hundred Emperor Realm Masters had lost their lives. Similarly, about half of the tens of thousands of elite disciples were dead too. The Southern Territory would need at least five hundred years to recover from such a catastrophe.

“What’s the situation over there?” He suddenly pointed his finger at the mountain valley where the Martial Gathering was held and was currently wrapped in countless layers of vines. At a glance, the entire mountain valley looked like a ball made out of vines. Furthermore, a dreadful and terrifying pitch-black Demon Qi continued to churn within, even dyeing some of the vines black.

Hundreds of petite Wood Spirits were surrounding the mountain valley and seemed to be continuously using Secret Techniques while under the protection of the Stone Spirits.

Wen Zi Shan explained, “It’s the doing of the Wood Spirits you brought with you. They seem to have a way to suppress the Demon Qi, so we placed all those that were demonified there.” After saying that, he sighed, “But, that’s not a solution. What they are doing doesn’t solve the root of the problem. Those people will be completely corrupted by Demon Qi, sooner or later, and when that happens… There’s nothing we can do for them anymore.”

“I’ll go and take a look,” Yang Kai said before rushing in that direction.

Ma Qing and Xiao Yu Yang were guarding this area as well. Nobody knew how effective the Wood Spirits’ methods were, so if those demonified cultivators went wild and began acting violent, somebody would need to be around to subdue them.

Those two had naturally noticed Yang Kai’s return a long time ago, but they had a duty to fulfil; hence, they could not go over to ask about the situation. When Ma Qing saw Yang Kai coming over, he anxiously asked, “Is he really dead?”

“Lei Gu is definitely dead.”

Both Ma Qing and Xiao Yu Yang’s expressions brightened hearing those words and they both nodded, “Good!”

Who knows what would happen in the future if Lei Gu was allowed to escape? Since Lei Gu had been brought to justice, then this matter was more or less settled. The only issue left to deal with were these demonified cultivators. They were rather troubled by this issue. There were many such cultivators here, at least ten thousand of them. It was one thing to kill them off in battle; however, they had captured these tens of thousands of Demons that they could neither kill nor release. It was extremely troubling, to say the least. Besides, practically every Sect had disciples among these ten thousand. Who could harden their hearts and slaughter every one of them? While they were borrowing the power of the Wood Spirits to suppress the Demon Qi with mysterious methods, it was only a temporary solution rather than a permanent cure.

Xiao Yu Yang thoughtfully asked, “Elder Yang, do you have a way to awaken the consciousness of these Demons?” He had seen that Gao Xue Ting had returned safely and soundly, which served as the basis for his conjecture. Gao Xue Ting had previously been demonified, and yet she currently looked no different from normal. That could only mean that the Demon Qi in her body had been purged somehow. The only ones who could do something so mysterious were either Yang Kai or the three Divine Spirits. Having seen what Yang Kai was capable of, Xiao Yu Yang had higher expectations of him than the three Divine Spirits.

“I’ll try,” Yang Kai nodded. He would have done the same even without Xiao Yu Yang saying anything. Turning to look at Mu Na, who was standing not too far away, Yang Kai called out, “Matriarch, please withdraw your Secret Technique.”

Mu Na nodded when she heard those words before coordinating with the other Wood Spirits. The vines that were wrapping around the mountain valley soon retracted and revealed the situation inside.

Ten thousand Demons stood there motionlessly as Yang Kai studied them for a moment. [If my guess is right… Not enough time has passed since they were demonified, so they don’t have the ability to act independently for the time being. They can’t move unless they are being controlled by a Demon Spirit. Good, that will make things a bit easier for me.]

With a slight shift of his body, Yang Kai stood in the sky above the centre of the mountain valley. He gave a wave of his hand and brought out several Demons in the Emperor Realm who had been suppressed in the Small Sealed World all this time. These Demons were the ones who attacked him on top of the mountain previously and subsequently got knocked out, captured, and suppressed inside the Small Sealed World by him. Now that he was about to exorcise the Demon Qi, it was only natural to bring them out so that he could treat them too.

When all the preparations were complete, Yang Kai took a light breath and simultaneously closed his eyes. In front of everyone’s fixed gazes, his eyes jerked open and the aura around his body underwent an unbelievable change, becoming extremely ancient and desolate.

Xiao Yu Yang and Ma Qing both watched in amazement. Exchanging a glance, the two of them could both see the other was completely at a loss about what technique could be so peculiar.

When a difficult-sounding chant rang out, Yang Kai slowly lowered his fingers and pointed. A faint light bloomed at the tip of his fingers and a circle of light suddenly fluctuated and spread out, sweeping across the bodies of the ten thousand cultivators below.

Chapter 3271

It was as though somebody had sprinkled a pinch of salt into a frying pan. When that light dissipated, an incredible scene appeared. The bodies of those ten thousand Demons were glowing bright red as though they had been pumped full of vitality. Their auras concurrently increased with great momentum.

The expressions on Wen Zi Shan, Ma Qing, and Xiao Yu Yang’s faces changed drastically all at once to reveal extremely horrified expressions. Ma Qing even blurted out, “What Secret Technique is that!?”

This Secret Technique was simply unheard of and never seen before. When that red light flared brightly, the auras of those ten thousand Demons increased significantly, increasing their overall strength to a whole new level in an instant. A Secret Technique like this was simply a miracle. Just imagine; if two groups of people were evenly matched in battle and one side suddenly received the support of this Secret Technique, the outcome of the battle would become a foregone conclusion. Not to mention, Yang Kai’s Secret Technique could cover ten thousand people at once.

Neither Ma Qing, Xiao Yu Yang, nor Wen Zi Shan had ever seen anything like it before; thus, all three of them were dumbfounded.

On the other hand, the Three Divine Spirits, who had followed along, glanced at each other in surprise with Cang Gou frowning as he muttered, “Why does that seem like…”

The words that came after that were too soft to hear despite Ma Qing, Xiao Yu Yang, and Wen Zi Shan listening intently.

Fan Wu nodded in agreement, “It does look like it.”

Luan Feng furrowed her delicate brow deeply as she commented, “It can’t be. How could he possibly cast that technique?”

Although the three of them had never seen this Secret Technique before, they had seen something similar in the memories passed down to them through the inheritance of their Divine Spirit Source, making them uncertain.

Their conversation went back and forth, leaving Ma Qing and the others dying of curiosity. They were almost at the point where they wanted to scratch their cheeks in frustration. [If you have something to say, say it clearly! Why do you have to act so mysterious about it!?]

Nevertheless, they did not dare to act so presumptuously in front of the three Divine Spirits.

At this moment, the chanting coming from Yang Kai’s mouth suddenly changed. He pointed downward again and a clean and pure light at the tip of his fingers flared out brightly. The tens of thousands of Demons all groaned in pain when the milky white light swept over them. Following that, traces of Demon Qi began to leak out of their bodies and dissipate into nothingness.

Ma Qing stared wide-eyed, “He actually did it!”

It wasn’t that they had not tried to force out the Demon Qi from the bodies of these demonified cultivators before, it was just that nothing they tried had succeeded. The strange Demon Qi was very hard to deal with, and even if they managed to expel some of it, they couldn’t purge it completely, much less extract it with ease like Yang Kai had just done. They could only perform painstaking cleansings one by one, but Yang Kai had covered ten thousand people all at once with his strange Secret Technique. The gap between these two methods were incomparable.

“An Ancient Shamanic Spell!” Fan Wu exclaimed softly, looking shaken. It had only been a suspicion before, but he was certain now. It was no Secret Technique that Yang Kai was casting, but a genuine Ancient Shamanic Spell!

“An Ancient Shamanic Spell?” Ma Qing widened his eyes and looked at Fan Wu curiously before he humbly asked, “Brother Fan, do you mean to say that this Secret Technique is an inheritance from ancient times?”

Fan Wu glanced sidelong at Ma Qing before promptly ignoring the latter. He was a Divine Spirit; moreover, each and every one of the Monster Kings under his command could rival a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master in power. Ma Qing himself was nothing but a mere Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. In the Ancient Wild Lands, Ma Qing’s status would at best be equal to Fan Wu’s subordinate, so how dare he act so friendly! It would be strange if Fan Wu did not ignore Ma Qing.

Seeing the disdain in Fan Wu’s eyes, Ma Qing’s face flushed red in response; unfortunately, he was helpless since he knew the other party’s strength. As such, he didn’t dare to act out here, making him feel incredibly embarrassed.

Wen Zi Shan secretly laughed in his heart but spoke calmly on the surface, “That little boy is extremely blessed. To think he even got his hands on some Ancient Secret Techniques. This will be a great help to us.”

Fan Wu replied indifferently, “This has nothing to do with obtaining Ancient Secret Techniques.”

“What do you mean?” Wen Zi Shan looked at Fan Wu curiously. 

Perhaps it was because of his relationship with Yang Kai, but Fan Wu’s attitude towards him wasn’t as aloof. As such, Fan Wu pondered for a moment before explaining, “It’s not like there are no Ancient Secret Techniques inherited from the ancient times in the Star Boundary, but have you ever seen anybody use them before?”

Wen Zi Shan frowned, “No, I have not. Perhaps those who had inherited them treasure them so greatly that they hide those techniques away?”

Luan Feng laughed lightly, “No, in fact, it’s simply not possible to cultivate them.”

Wen Zi Shan was taken aback by those words and couldn’t help asking, “Why?”

Luan Feng explained, “Every era has its own unique World Principles. Accordingly, the corresponding Secret Techniques of those eras correspond to those specific World Principles. A Shamanic Spell is something from ancient times and can only be cultivated in an environment with World Principles akin to those ancient times. The World Principles in the Star Boundary of today simply cannot meet the requirements for the cultivation of those Secret Techniques.”

Ma Qing and Wen Zi Shan looked at each other, “There’s something like that?”

Although their cultivations were quite high and they were rather knowledgeable, they had never heard of such a theory before. Only beings like Divine Spirits, who were peculiar existences that had inherited memories of their ancestors through their Sources would grasp such concepts.

Xiao Yu Yang nodded lightly, “I have heard the Great Emperor mentioning something similar before. The Great Emperor once said that there was no way for the many Secret Techniques of our current era to bloom if we were to enter a new era.”

Fan Wu nodded, “Exactly.”

Ma Qing uttered in astonishment, “But… That means Elder Yang managed to successfully cultivate and cast a technique impossible to cultivate or cast… How did he do it?”

[That’s right. How was this possible?] Ma Qing wasn’t the only one who couldn’t figure it out. Even the three Divine Spirits did not understand. They even suspected that Yang Kai had encountered other opportunities when he was roaming the Ancient Wild Lands. Perhaps, these Ancient Shamanic Spell were something he successfully cultivated there.

The reason why the Ancient Wild Lands received its name was that it was a place that inherited the aura of the Ancient Star Boundary. It remained unchanged over the aeons, so the World Principles in the Ancient Wild Lands were slightly different from those of the rest of the Star Boundary.

Ordinary cultivators were suppressed to a certain extent upon entering the Ancient Wild Lands because of this variance in World Principles. If there was any place in this world where Yang Kai could cultivate an Ancient Shamanic Spell, it would be the Ancient Wild Lands.

However, Fan Wu and the others had never heard of any inheritance related to Shamanic Spells in the Ancient Wild Lands. Furthermore, the time Yang Kai spent in the Ancient Wild Lands was not that long, so the question remained, just where did he cultivate these Ancient Shamanic Spells?

“Since the three of you know that these are Ancient Shamanic Spells, do you know which specific Spells he is using?” Ma Qing asked again.

Fan Wu replied, “If my guess is correct, then the first one he casted is called the Bloodlust Spell.”

“Bloodlust Spell?” Ma Qing raised an eyebrow in response.

Fan Wu continued, “It stimulates the Blood Essence in a target’s body and can greatly increase that person’s physical strength for a certain period of time. I believe you can use similar Secret Techniques yourselves.”

Ma Qing was taken aback. After feeling so envious of that Secret Technique for such a long time, it turned out to be a Secret Technique like that. It was only natural that they knew similar Secret Techniques. In fact, most cultivators could master such Secret Techniques, let alone the few of them. It was only a matter of how useful such a technique was. Be that as it may, stimulating one’s Blood Essence might increase one’s strength for a short period of time, but they would be weakened after using it and forced to recuperate for varying lengths of time as a result.

“This is one of the fundamental Shamanic Spells that the Ancient Barbarian Race used in order to survive,” Luan Feng continued, “The Ancient Barbarian Race did not cultivate the Martial Dao we currently thrive on. Only a few of them had the aptitude to cultivate Shamanic Spells while the rest focused on Body Tempering. It was also said that some of them could achieve Sanctification purely through Body Tempering. Such Masters had power no less than those of the Great Emperors of today. It is precisely because of the strong bodies of the Ancient Barbarian Race that they could withstand the Bloodlust Spell time and time again and survive in the harsh environments of that era. With the current physical prowess of most cultivators in the Star Boundary today, I’m afraid they won’t be able to bear the effects of the Bloodlust Spell more than a handful of times before permanent damage is done to their foundations.”

“I can’t believe that such a technique used to exist.” Ma Qing sighed. Upon learning the truth behind the Bloodlust Spell, there was no need to covet it anymore as it could only be used if one had a strong enough body to support it.

“The three of you are really well-informed.” Despite knowing that the three Divine Spirits only learned about this through their Source Inheritances, it didn’t hurt to maintain good relations with them. Besides, it was not as if flattery cost anything.

Although Fan Wu and the others did not bother to explain the second Spell, everyone understood that it was probably similar to a heart purifying technique; however, it seemed to be more effective than that and could almost be said to be the nemesis of Demon Qi.

Yang Kai patiently performed the Demon Exorcism Spell over and over again. Low roars and howls of pain rang out endlessly from the mountain valley while at the same time, traces of Demon Qi escaped from the bodies of the ten thousand cultivators and melted quickly like snowflakes under the scorching sun.

Half a day later, the situation of the ten thousand in the mountain valley was much better than before. Some of them were gradually regaining their senses; thus, they sat down cross-legged and coordinated with Yang Kai’s Spell to speed up their recovery.

After an entire day, Yang Kai had no choice but to stop and rest for a while. The continuous use of the Demon Exorcism Spell nearly exhausted his entire reserve of Emperor Qi. He consumed several Emperor Spirit Pills and took out some Source Crystals to recuperate before continuing with his efforts an hour later.

It took three whole days for all the Demon Qi within the bodies of those ten thousand cultivators in the mountain valley to be completely purified. Unfortunately, not all of them could be saved. At least a thousand of them had been completely corrupted by Demon Qi and even Yang Kai’s Demon Exorcism Spell could not save them. Performing this spell now only caused harm to them without any healing effect.

For a time, the mountain valley was filled with a miserable aura. The cultivators that had recovered were taken away by their Elders or comrades to rest in a different area. Meanwhile, Xiao Yu Yang and the others had long concluded what had to be done regarding the remaining thousand Demons. Since they could not be rescued, then they could only give them a painless death.

Xiao Yu Yang personally took action, flattening the entire mountain valley in a single move, burying the one thousand Demons together in an instant. Then, the scene became even more tragic than before, and soft sobbing sounds could be heard everywhere. All the major Sects that came to participate in the Southern Territory Martial Gathering this time, regardless of whether they were strong or weak, all had suffered serious losses. Some of the worst-hit Sects were nearly wiped out, leaving only a few survivors left alive.

Azure Sun Temple also suffered some losses. One Emperor Realm Elder died, and among the disciples who came to participate in the Martial Gathering, nearly half of those in the Origin King Realm and Origin Returning Realm had perished while slightly fewer Dao Source Realm disciples had died. If Wen Zi Shan had not noticed that something was wrong and immediately taken measures to protect the disciples, the results would have been much worse.

Many lamented how this event had destroyed the foundations of the Sect or clan.

“Elder Yang, we still need your assistance with these people.”

While Yang Kai was resting, Ma Qing, Wen Zi Shan, and Xiao Yu Yang came to meet him together. There was a group of Emperor Realm Masters escorting two groups of people behind them. There were not many people in these two groups. One group had eight people in it, while the other had a dozen.

On the surface, nothing peculiar stood out about these people. It was just that their cultivations had been sealed. The group of eight on the left had gloomy expressions and looked like dead men walking. On the other hand, the dozen people on the right were yelling about injustice. Most of these people were in the Emperor Realm but some were weaker as well.

Chapter 3272

The Abyssal Returner, Ah Wang, had also followed them over. She was currently being held in Liu Yan’s arms and was baring her fangs and growling at the second group of a dozen people. Those dozen seemed to be extremely afraid of her and each one of them had eyes that were filled with a deep sense of fear.

Yang Kai glanced at them pensively. Fixing his gaze on the first group of eight people, he asked, “Have they all been possessed by Demon Spirits?”

Wen Zi Shan nodded with a grim expression, “Yes. Do you think you can save them?”

“It will be difficult.” Yang Kai shook his head slowly. Although he had not tried it before, he knew that those who had been possessed by Demon Spirits were fundamentally different from those who were corrupted by Demon Qi. Even if he used Ancient Shamanic Spells on them, the chances of success were slim to none.

“Please give it a try,” Ma Qing begged. One of those people was an Elder of Heavenly Martial Holy Land and Ma Qing could not bring himself to watch such a tragic ending.

Yang Kai nodded, “En. But please don’t get your hopes up, Holy Master Ma.”

“Please make every effort, Elder Yang.” Ma Qing smiled bitterly.

Yang Kai got up, walked over to those Demons, and studied them closely. If he had to be honest with himself, he could not detect any traces of corruption from these people even now, they all just looked like ordinary Humans. It was no wonder that the entire Southern Territory was still in the dark about the situation when Orthodoxy Temple had already fallen.

Those eight people included men and women, young and old. Yang Kai circled around them once and randomly stopped in front of a young man. When their gazes met, the young man’s eyes revealed his nervousness.

Yang Kai smiled at the young man and began chanting. He then touched a finger to the young man’s forehead and a milky white light on his fingertip burst out, penetrating into the young man’s head.

The light was cleansing and that young man suddenly began shaking all over in fear. His expression became savage and horrendous and a beast-like howl came out of his mouth as he struggled even harder than before. Nevertheless, he was helpless. He had many seals placed on his body, so how could he escape?

Under the Demon Exorcism Spell, Demon Qi soon burst forth from the young man’s body. Although the Demon Qi in his body began to dissipate at a constant rate as the Demon Exorcism Spell took effect, his Spiritual Essence also wilted accordingly. His complexion turned deathly pale and in a very short period of time, he was sweating so profusely that he looked like he had been fished out of the sea. His clothes were soaked through and after a while, his eyes rolled back and he completely lost consciousness.

Yang Kai stopped and stood there, slowly shaking his head.

Seeing this scene, Ma Qing and the others let out a long sigh. They had mentally prepared themselves before they asked, but they could only give up when they saw that Yang Kai’s methods could not work on these people.

These cultivators had been possessed by the Demon Spirits after all and their own consciousness had long been devoured. Hence, they had been fundamentally changed from the roots up. The Demon Exorcism Spell Yang Kai cast was capable of removing Demon Qi from their bodies, but it was simultaneously damaging their Souls. Even if he purged all the Demon Qi, it would simply turn them into walking corpses without a functioning consciousness of their own.

That was something Yang Kai knew best as the memory of the time when Feng Ming had taken out a Demon Seed and tried to attack his Knowledge Sea before in order to possess his body was still fresh in his mind.

“They can’t be saved.” Yang Kai turned to Ma Qing and asked, “Did you get any useful information from them?”

Wen Zi Shan sighed, “No. These guys are all tight-lipped and not afraid of death, so we couldn’t get anything out of them at all.”

“Is that so?” Yang Kai stretched out his hand to Liu Yan who immediately walked over and handed the Abyssal Returner in her arms to him. Holding Ah Wang in one hand, Yang Kai stood in front of a demonified cultivator and swept his gaze over them, “If you want to live, tell me what you were plotting. If your information turns out to be useful, I might just spare your life.”

The eight people, aside from the young man that had lost consciousness, looked at him quietly, but nobody answered.

Yang Kai nodded, “You truly do not fear death. Very good.”

While speaking, he gently patted the Abyssal Returner on the head. The black puppy roared wildly in response before it suddenly stuck its head out, opened its mouth wide, and swallowed up one of the Demons standing in front of her in a single gulp.

Upon seeing that scene, Ma Qing and the others jumped in fright. Although they had witnessed what the strange black puppy was capable of before, it was still a shocking sight. It wasn’t strange for a Monster Beast to prey on Humans, but the key point was that the Abyssal Returner did not feed on Humans but only Demons. Moreover, it was completely immune to demonification. Not too long ago, it even devoured all the Demon Qi in the mountain valley.

Wen Zi Shan wore a thoughtful look. He had known about the existence of the Abyssal Returner for some time now after all. Gong Yue was the one to discover this Abyssal Returner in Azure Sun Temple back then, and at the time, it had tried to devour Feng Ming in one bite. More than a dozen Emperor Realm Masters working together to attack it had also had their attacks all swallowed into its belly before those same attacks were spat back out. According to Gong Yue, the little beast seemed to have the bloodline of a legendary Monster Beast from the Demon Realm; thus, it was not strange for it to have such a bizarre ability.

When one of the Demons was swallowed down, the rest of the Demons became agitated. They glared at the Abyssal Returner as though they were looking at their natural enemy, their eyes filled with horror and fear; however, their cultivations were all sealed so they couldn’t run even if they wanted to.

Yang Kai looked at them in a leisurely manner and said indifferently, “Take your time to think it over. Whoever has made up their minds can go ahead and talk. This Yang always means what he says; as long as you can provide me with some useful information, you may survive.”

While he was speaking, the Abyssal Returner opened its mouth again and swallowed up another Demon. Yang Kai didn’t say anything else after that and simply walked down the line, step by step, with Ah Wang in his arms. Whenever he arrived in front of a Demon, Ah Wang would devour that Demon in one gulp. Just like that, she ate five Demons in the blink of an eye and there were now only three left, their eyes filled with hatred, but none of them speaking a single word.

Looking at the situation, Yang Kai sighed in frustration, “Truly a bunch of stubborn and rigid people.”

Turning to look at Ma Qing and the others, he added, “I’m afraid we won’t be getting anything out of them.”

Ma Qing replied with a cold expression, “In that case, there’s no reason to let them live anymore.”

If they were not demonified, he might have suggested trying to use Secret Techniques such as the Soul Scouring Technique on them to investigate the secrets of their minds; however, this was related to the Demons, so who would dare do that? What if they were infected by the Demon Qi as a result? The potential gains were not worth the risks.

Since there was no point keeping these Demons alive, then they could only get rid of them once and for all. Ah Wang swallowed the remaining three Demons into her belly in one swift motion. Nevertheless, she still looked unsatisfied and her gaze now turned towards the other dozen people standing to the side.

“And, what’s up with them?” Yang Kai asked curiously.

“You have to ask that pet of yours.” Wen Zi Shan frowned, “She keeps barking at them. We don’t know what’s wrong with them either.”

When the dust of the battle in the mountain valley settled, all the major Sects summoned the remaining survivors to help collect the remains of the injured and dead, but to their surprise, the Abyssal Returner suddenly ran up to a cultivator and barked at him non-stop. In view of the spectacular performance of the Abyssal Returner previously, Wen Zi Shan and Ma Qing became alert and ordered that cultivator to be detained.

Who could have known that the Abyssal Returner would continue making its way through the crowd, sniffing out these dozen people? Subsequently, that led to the current situation they were facing right now.

“I have been unfairly accused, Temple Master Wen! I am a disciple of Blue Cloud Sect! Why am I being detained like this!?” A young woman with a youthful-looking face complained bitterly, trying to defend herself. The rest also began talking all at once, agreeing with her statements.

Yang Kai said, “Whether something is wrong or not, we only need to test it out to know.” Striding forward, he came to stand directly in front of the young woman.

The young woman instantly reacted in fear, trying to step back as she spoke in a horrified voice, “W-What are you trying to do!?”

Yang Kai didn’t waste any time on talk and simply reached out his hand to grab her head while casting the Demon Exorcism Spell. When he began chanting, the young woman’s expression changed greatly and she wailed as wisps of black Demon Qi poured out of her body.

When everybody saw this, their expressions sank.

“There really is something wrong with them…” Ma Qing looked stern.

Similarly, Wen Zi Shan also had an expression of lingering fear as he turned a look of wonder at the Abyssal Returner. [If not for this little beast’s strange behaviour, I’m afraid everybody would have been deceived again.]

When was a person most relaxed and unguarded? It was when they emerged victorious after a difficult battle. When the dust settled over the battle of Orthodoxy Temple, nobody expected Demons to still be hiding among them. Nobody had the means to distinguish between the Humans and the Demons either, so if these people had been allowed to leave this place alive, a second or a third Orthodoxy Temple could have appeared in the future.

Yang Kai continued checking these dozen people, one by one and soon determined that every single one of them had been quietly taken over by a Demon Spirit. Nobody knew whether they had been possessed before the battle or whether it happened during the commotion. Seeing as these dozen people came from different backgrounds and had varying cultivations, it was probably the latter.

There was nothing much to say since these people had been possessed and it didn’t take long before all of them ended up in Ah Wang’s belly.

Wen Zi Shan said, “Should we let your pet look around again? Just in case there are still some Demon Spirits left…”

Previously, they had no way of determining who had been possessed by a Demon Spirit, but now that they had a weapon like the Abyssal Returner on their side, it was only natural that they screened the remaining survivors carefully.

Yang Kai nodded, “That’s probably for the best.”

After saying that, he tossed the Ah Wang to Liu Yan, “Take her out for a walk.”

Liu Yan took the Abyssal Returner, turned around, and left.

Not far away, Wu Chang watched the entire scene with a stoic expression while in his heart, tumultuous waves were brewing.

When everybody ran into each other at the gates of Orthodoxy Temple just slightly over a month ago, he had spoken disdainfully to Yang Kai. He arrogantly believed that Yang Kai still did not have the qualifications to face him, but who could have imagined that in just the span of a month, that opponent he looked down on would be speaking to his Sect’s Holy Master on equal terms? Moreover, Yang Kai had, more or less, single-handedly resolved the entire Orthodoxy Temple incident. If not for him, almost all of the Southern Territory’s Masters and elite disciples would have been wiped out.

While thinking about how Yang Kai had casually gathered and brought more than two hundred Emperor Realm Masters as reinforcements here, Wu Chang’s thoughts drifted to the unruly thirty-two Monster Kings, then to the three Divine Spirits who obeyed Yang Kai’s every word…

For somebody as proud as Wu Chang, those thoughts made him feel a pang of helplessness. At some point in time, this person, who was supposedly one of his peers, had gone far beyond his reach. They were now two people living in two different worlds.

When he thought back on the arrogant words he uttered more than a month ago, he discovered that he had been acting absolutely ridiculous and childish back then. At the time, Yang Kai probably didn’t even put him in his eyes.

Wu Chang couldn’t help feeling a deep sense of frustration in his heart, like he had made a fool of himself in front of everyone.

Chen Wen Hao stood beside Wu Chang, seemingly aware of the changes in his Junior’s heart, and patted him on the shoulder, “Everyone has their own path to walk. He is just truly blessed. He is a rare existence that only appears rarely throughout history. He is not someone anybody can compare to.”

Wu Chang sighed softly, “I know.”

He paused for a moment before he continued, “I’m going to enter retreat upon our return. After achieving a breakthrough in my cultivation, I’m going out to wander the world.”

Chen Wen Hao turned and glanced at Wu Chang; then, he nodded in agreement, “Good.” 

Flowers grown in a greenhouse cannot withstand the harsh elements of the outside world.

Chapter 3273

Yang Kai strolled over to the main gates of Orthodoxy Temple and headed directly to a small slope. Lowering his head, he studied the cold corpse lying there and a trace of sorrow flashed across his eyes. The corpse was covered in a layer of ice, so it showed no signs of decay or being eaten by wild beasts even though several days had passed.

The fatal injury was located on her chest. Yu Zhuo had been pierced by some kind of sharp weapon, such as a sword, and judging by the injury, Yang Kai could tell that she had not suffered any pain before she died. It was just that her wide-opened eyes were still full of fear and helplessness still.

“Palace Master!” Hua Qing Si walked over and called out softly.

“Why are you here?” Yang Kai asked. Squatting down, he brushed his hand over the cold corpse. The layer of ice melted instantly and he gently closed Yu Zhuo’s eyelids before tidying up the messy strands of hair stuck to her forehead.

“Elder Ji asked me to guard this place,” Hua Qing Si replied as she secretly observed Yang Kai’s expression and realized that what Ji Yao said was correct. [Palace Master really does know this dead woman. I wonder what kind of relationship they had? The guilt and sorrow on his face indicates that their relationship was not quite one of normal friendship but not at the level of romance between a man and a woman either.]

He nodded at those words. When Ji Yao passed the border of Orthodoxy Temple’s Sect Defending Array and charged into battle with him, he noticed her casting a Secret Technique to freeze Yu Zhuo’s body. Sadly, they were facing an imminent battle at the time, and he had no time to worry about anything else. It wasn’t until everything was resolved that he had the time to come and check on the situation here.

The dead were gone; nevertheless, Yu Zhuo’s laughter and smiling face constantly appeared in his mind. If she had not died in this place, the possibility of her becoming an Emperor Realm Master one day was very high based on her performance in the Martial Gathering. Unfortunately, one had to overcome many obstacles in the Martial Dao, and the slightest bit of carelessness would mean death.

Yang Kai could not say that he had much of a friendship with Yu Zhuo, and during this incident, the Southern Territory had suffered casualties numbering from twenty to thirty thousand. Even Azure Sun Temple lost more than a third of its top disciples. Nevertheless, Yu Zhuo’s death was the only one that made him feel truly regretful and sad.

It was an inexplicable feeling. Looking at this person in front of him, he recalled the scene where she suddenly turned around and waved goodbye at him after he refused to meet with her that day. Who could have expected that that moment when she turned around to leave would be their final goodbye?

“Palace Master, the people over there are her Sect members. They seemed to be waiting to collect her body.” Hua Qing Si had waited for some time before finally reminding him when she saw that Yang Kai showed no signs of moving.

Lifting his head, Yang Kai saw about ten individuals standing anxiously not too far away. The person leading them was a young woman who looked to be in her thirties and the group behind her were all women. Each of these women wore a depressed expression while some of the younger ones were weeping softly.

“Bring them over.” Yang Kai nodded.

“Understood,” Hua Qing Si responded and walked over in that direction. She arrived in front of that young woman leading the group, spoke a few words, and then brought them over with her.

“Luo Sha Sect Qin Pei greets Elder Yang,” The leading young woman bowed, her eyes reddening instantly when they swept over Yu Zhuo’s corpse. However, she held back her tears somehow since Yang Kai was in front of her.

Yang Kai glanced at this group and discovered that Qin Pei had the highest cultivation out of them. Even then, she was only a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. There was only one other woman in the First-Order Dao Source Realm among the others while the rest were Origin Kings or Origin Returning Realm Juniors.

“Are you Yu Zhuo’s fellow Sect members?” He asked.

Qin Pei nodded, “Yes. I am Yu Zhuo’s Senior Sister.”

“Where is your Sect Master?” Yang Kai looked at her and asked. Although Luo Sha Sect was neither a large nor powerful Sect, he recalled that they at least had a Sect Master in the Emperor Realm. Moreover, their Sect Master was the one to lead them here to participate in the Martial Gathering.

Qin Pei lowered her head and replied in a choked-up voice, “Sect Master fell as well.”

As soon as those words left her mouth, the few girls whimpering behind her couldn’t hold back anymore and burst out wailing.

Luo Sha Sect was an all-female Sect, and an all-female Sect would always draw much attention from the outside world. It was inevitable that some lustful men would try to get their hands on a Sect like that. In the past, Luo Sha Sect had a Sect Master in the Emperor Realm protecting them while they also had alliances with the surrounding Sects and clans, so they were fairly safe from assault.

Unfortunately, their Sect Master had died a tragic death and only two among all the disciples in the Dao Source Realm who came to participate in Martial Gathering survived. It could be said that the foundation of Luo Sha Sect had been severely damaged. It would be hard for them to gain a foothold in the Southern Territory again. Furthermore, the female disciples of Luo Sha Sect would face a worrying fate if word got out about their situation. Combined with their grief, how could this group of women hold back their sorrow when they thought about what the future held for them?

Yang Kai was silent.

Qin Pei took out a cloth bag suddenly from her Space Ring and handed it to him.

“This is…” Yang Kai glanced at her questioningly.

Wiping away her tears, Qin Pei forced a smile to her face, “A few days ago, Junior Sister Yu Zhuo asked me to keep an eye out for seeds and to collect them if I found any. I think she wanted to give them to you. I was a bit late in collecting them, so I didn’t have time to hand them to her before…”

Yang Kai pursed his lips and reached out his hand to take the cloth bag, but when he held it, that small bag somehow felt extremely heavy.

Qin Pei added, “Junior Sister Yu Zhuo admired Elder Yang very much. Just recently…” She couldn’t continue speaking anymore. Covering her mouth with her hand, she broke down sobbing while the dozen or so girls behind her also covered their faces and wept with grief.

Under these circumstances, even Hua Qing Si was affected by the situation and her eyes slightly reddened.

A while passed before Qin Pei managed to collect herself again. Taking a deep breath, she smiled and said, “It was a blessing for Junior Sister Yu Zhuo to meet Elder Yang before her death.”

Yang Kai’s hand that was holding the cloth bag clenched slightly and his chest felt incredibly tight and stuffy.

Qin Pei waited a moment before continuing, “Elder Yang, if you don’t mind, I would like to bring Junior Sister’s body back to the Sect for burial.”

Yang Kai nodded lightly in response, unable to speak.

Only then did Qin Pei crouch down and gently stroke Yu Zhuo’s hair. Afterwards, she placed Yu Zhuo’s corpse into her Space Ring.

“Many thanks, Elder Yang!” Qin Pei bowed again and turned to leave with the rest of her Sect members.

“Wait,” Yang Kai reached out his hand and called for her to stop.

Turning back, Qin Pei asked, “Is there anything else you need, Elder Yang?”

“What are your plans for the future?” He asked, looking at her.

A look of confusion flashed across Qin Pei’s eyes before she shook her head. She had been worrying about this issue over the past few days. Now that their Sect Master was dead, what was going to happen to the roughly thousand disciples of Luo Sha Sect? The person with the highest cultivation left in the Sect was an Elder in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm who had stayed behind to guard the Sect. Unfortunately, such strength was not enough to protect their foundation. There were several Sects and clans that Luo Sha Sect was allied with, but it no longer had the protection of an Emperor Realm Master so forget about providing shelter and protection, those allies would likely be the first to try and swallow up Luo Sha Sect.

Therefore, Luo Sha Sect’s fate was certain and the only way to gain safety was to somehow bring in a powerful and influential external force to shelter them. Be that as it may, doing so might just be inviting a wolf in the flock of sheep. All those scruples to consider had left the Sect’s future looking rather bleak.

“Do you plan to revive your Sect, or merge it with another?” Yang Kai asked, “If it’s the latter, I can help introduce you to a reliable force. Both the Southern Territory and the Northern Territory are fine. You will have limited choices in the Southern Territory, but you can choose any Sect you want to join in the Northern Territory.”

Upon hearing those words, Qin Pei’s eyes lit up, “Elder Yang, are you willing to help Luo Sha Sect?”

Yang Kai replied, “Yu Zhuo and I… Can be considered friends. Although she has passed, I cannot just stand by and do nothing when her Sect is in trouble.”

Qin Pei couldn’t help feeling beside herself with joy when she received an affirmative answer. Similarly, the dozen or so disciples of Luo Sha Sect looked at Yang Kai in amazement. In their experiences, Emperor Realm Masters had always stood far above people like them. One did not have the right to speak with Emperor Realm Masters on equal terms unless one was also in the Emperor Realm. That was why they had been standing so far away and did not dare to come forward while Hua Qing Si was watching over Yu Zhuo’s body; it was because she too was an Emperor Realm Master.

Although their Sect Master could be considered amiable when she was still alive, her status as an Emperor Realm Master was still intimidating and nobody dared to act presumptuously in front of her.

They were already so cautious around a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, so what more needed to be said about a Second-Order or Third-Order Emperor? Moreover, Yang Kai was an Elder of Azure Sun Temple. That title itself carried more weight than an ordinary Emperor Realm Master in the Southern Territory. For that reason, Qin Pei had been rather cautious while speaking to Yang Kai just now. Who could have known that the other party would be so approachable? He even claimed that he was friends with Yu Zhuo.

The simple word ‘friend’ was a very big deal; after all, how many Emperor Realm Masters would willingly acknowledge a mere Dao Source Realm cultivator as a friend? Even if there were any, they would be very rare cases. If Yu Zhuo had heard those words, who knows how ecstatic she would have been? 

At the thought of Yu Zhuo though, Qin Pei’s expression filled with sorrow again as she resolutely stated, “I want to revive the Sect!”

Luo Sha Sect was the place where they grew up together. It was also home to this group of young girls. If they could preserve and revitalize their Sect, who would be willing to abandon their home and seek shelter somewhere else?

The group of women behind Qin Pei all nodded vigorously.

“Hmm…” Yang Kai pondered for a moment before asking, “Has Luo Sha Sect ever hired a High-Rank Guest Elder before?”

Qin Pei shook her head. There was only one Emperor Realm Master at Luo Sha Sect, so if they were to hire a High-Rank Guest Elder, they had to choose from those that were in the Emperor Realm; however, most Emperor Realm Masters were attached to their own Sects, so who would go to Luo Sha Sect just to be a High-Rank Guest Elder there? On the other hand, hiring a Dao Source Realm cultivator in such a position was completely redundant.

“Hire me then. I’ll be Luo Sha Sect’s High-Rank Guest Elder from now on,” Yang Kai forced a slight smile onto his face.

Qin Pei was stunned by those words and after realizing the implication and meaning behind them, she knew that Yang Kai was lending them his assistance in order to save their Sect. Even so, she never expected him to use such a method to help them. She thought that he would, at best, announce to the public that their Sect was under his protection so that people with malicious intentions would be deterred from harming them, she never imagined that he would be willing to abase himself and become a High-Rank Guest Elder at Luo Sha Sect.

[We are talking about a High-Rank Guest Elder! Even though it comes with the title of ‘Honoured Guest’, it is tantamount to becoming attached to Luo Sha Sect! If the Sect ever encounters trouble, he will have no choice but to help us!]

Seeing as Qin Pei was not answering, Yang Kai touched his nose awkwardly and said, “Does the Luo Sha Sect only allow women to join? If that’s the case, I can recommend somebody else for you. Her cultivation is no worse than mine.” Naturally, he was referring to Ji Yao. He was certain that Ji Yao would not mind lending them her name.

“No! That’s not it!” Qin Pei hurriedly waved her hands in denial. [Are you joking!? Even if Luo Sha Sect really had such a rule, rules were dead while people were alive!] Who was Yang Kai? He was the saviour of the Southern Territory, a Master who could assemble a force of more than two hundred Emperor Realm Masters, thirty-two Monster Kings, and even three Divine Spirits at will! Moreover, he was a powerful Emperor Realm Master himself! Just one of those titles would be enough for no one in the world to dare look down on him… With someone like him as a High-Rank Guest Elder of Luo Sha Sect, who will dare try to harm them?

Chapter 3274

“Elder Yang, it is Luo Sha Sect’s greatest blessing if you are willing to come and serve as the Honoured Guest of our Sect. It’s just that our Sect is slightly on the poorer side so we don’t have much in terms of income either. About what we can offer as compensation… It may be unfair to you, Elder Yang.” Qin Pei’s voice got softer and softer the more she spoke, blushing furiously by the end of her sentence. She was truly worried that they could not afford to hire Yang Kai. It would have been one thing if he had been an ordinary Emperor Realm Master, but the key point was that he was not an ordinary Emperor Realm Master. If they really hired him… It would be embarrassing to pay him too little, but Luo Sha Sect simply could not afford to pay him more.

Yang Kai held up the cloth bag in his hand that was filled with seeds and commented lightly, “This is enough.”

Qin Pei looked at him with a mixture of emotion and gratitude. That bag of seeds was nothing special and had cost her less than a hundred Source Crystals in total. She knew that Yang Kai would never have agreed to such a poor deal if not for his consideration towards Yu Zhuo. [It seems he really considers Yu Zhuo as his friend.]

Qin Pei felt both sad and grateful at the same time, [If Yu Zhuo was still alive, she would have been incredibly ecstatic to learn of this.]

Then, Qin Pei suddenly asked, “About Azure Sun Temple…” [He is an Elder of Azure Sun Temple, so will they allow him to be a High-Rank Guest Elder at Luo Sha Sect?]

To which Yang Kai replied, “It’s alright, Temple Master Wen won’t object to this.”

“Many thanks, Elder Yang,” She bowed deeply.

He raised his hand and said, “Bring your Sect members and find a place to rest for now. I will travel with you to Luo Sha Sect once I finish handling matters here.”

“Yes,” Qin Pei responded respectfully before leading the group of women away.

Afterwards, Yang Kai turned to Hua Qing Si and instructed, “Inform me when the Great Emperor arrives.”

Yang Kai had asked an elderly man to head to Star Soul Palace to report the situation and ask for assistance, and based on his estimations, it should be almost time for them to arrive. Xiao Yu Yang had already set off to meet up with the Great Emperor, so it would only take two days at most.

Hua Qing Si nodded before watching Yang Kai leave.

Things at Orthodoxy Temple were more or less settled by now. With Ah Wang’s ability to distinguish between Humans and Demons, there was no need to worry about the existence of more hidden Demons. Hence, it was not proper for the Emperor Realm Masters of the Northern Territory and the Monster Kings of the Ancient Wild Lands to remain here for much longer. Yang Kai summoned them over and led them back to where he had set up the Space Array before sending them all back.

The people from the Northern Territory were much more cooperative this time around, especially after seeing what kind of force Yang Kai was capable of summoning at whim. They stayed when he asked them to stay and left when he asked them to leave without any complaints whatsoever. On the other hand, the Monster Kings of the Ancient Wild Lands looked at him with reluctant gazes, as though he was a piece of meat pie that they didn’t want to let go of. If not for the three Divine Spirits watching nearby, they would have rushed over to try and win him over a long time ago.

When he was sending them away, the Monster Kings’ expressions became more and more resentful; meanwhile, the female Monster King, Du Mi’er, became more openly affectionate. She even brazenly teased him, “Sir, come over to the Ancient Wild Lands whenever you are free to visit me. I will miss you greatly.”

Luan Feng’s expression immediately darkened while Fan Wu and Cang Gou also had worried looks on their faces as they constantly sighed in their hearts.

It was a lot of work, but Yang Kai finally managed to send everybody off before he turned around and sighed, “Junior Sister Yao, why are you sneaking around? Do you take me for a blind man?”

Ji Yao appeared from behind a tree not far away and walked over to him. Not many people from Ice Heart Valley had joined this expedition, but when he sent those from Ice Heart Valley back, Yang Kai had not seen Ji Yao around. A slight check with his Divine Sense immediately told him that she was hiding close by, but he didn’t expose her until now.

When their gazes met, he asked helplessly, “Aren’t you going back?”

Ji Yao said, “I want to accompany you.”

While speaking, she took the initiative to take his hand and lead him in a certain direction with light movement. Her jade-white hand was so soft that it almost felt boneless to the touch, and it was extremely smooth and pleasant to feel. An enticing scent lingered at the tip of Yang Kai nose, making him relax involuntarily and feel refreshed. He did not know what Ji Yao wanted to do, but he did not resist and allowed her to pull him along.

They soon arrived on a certain mountain peak. Currently, Orthodoxy Temple was all but empty. The surviving cultivators who came to participate in Martial Gathering were mostly concentrated in the mountain valley while almost all of Orthodoxy Temple’s disciples were dead, so the buildings on top of this mountain were all deserted.

Yang Kai did not know whether it was a coincidence that Ji Yao chose this mountain or not, but it happened to be the place where the people from Azure Sun Temple had been staying previously.

Heading straight into one of the rooms, Ji Yao closed the door before she finally released Yang Kai’s hand. Then, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and just stood there. At the same time, her heart rate suddenly began to speed up.

Yang Kai turned to look at her, and seeing her posing as though she was at his mercy, he failed to stifle his laughter and asked, “What are you doing?”

Ji Yao opened her eyes and looked at him, answering his question with another question, “What do you want to do?”

Her expression seemed to say ‘you can do whatever you want with me.’

Yang Kai felt a little speechless all of a sudden. [You are the one who dragged me here, so why are you asking me what I want to do?]

Nevertheless, an idea suddenly came to mind and he guessed what she was thinking, the very thought warming his heart a little as he chuckled amusedly, “I’m not that weak.”

Ji Yao stared at him with wide eyes. He couldn’t tell whether she believed him or not, but he soon pulled her into his arms while her guard was lowered, and she instantly stiffened, exclaiming in shock, “Didn’t you say…”

To which Yang Kai grinned, “I’m not that weak, but since you’ve already offered a meal, it would be rude to not eat.”

He exerted some strength, and the two of them fell back onto the bed.

Ji Yao suddenly felt desperate to cry but was unable to shed any tears. Her entire body trembled, and she could feel a large hand fondling her body. Those fingertips felt like they were imbued with lightning and everywhere they touched became stimulated. It made her nerves that were already strained even tenser than before.

Hot and heavy breaths travelled upward from her lower abdomen, brushing against her chest and her neck. At last, his breath blew against her face. Ji Yao quickly closed her eyes, and her long lashes trembled uncontrollably. In the next moment, she felt her lips being violated unscrupulously as a suppressed voice escaped from her throat.

Yang Kai’s actions this time were extremely rough, clearly having no intention of being gentle. His hands kneaded her body so hard that she felt a slight tinge of pain and the force on her lips made her feel like she was going to suffocate. It felt as though she could die at any moment.

A long while later, their lips parted and Ji Yao gasped for breath. Although she had not opened her eyes, she could feel a sharp gaze drilling into her. It made her blush furiously as a result, and she did not dare to open her eyes to look at him. Just as she thought that it was impossible to escape from him, he unexpectedly lay down sideways, rested his head on her lower abdomen, and stopped moving for a while.

Ji Yao opened her eyes suspiciously, then sat up slowly and moved his head to her lap. Lowering her head to study his face, she met his gaze and he smiled at her, and she asked, “Are you feeling better?”

While speaking, she reached out and slowly tidied his slightly dishevelled hair that had gotten tangled. Her actions were as gentle as if she were caressing her lover.

Yang Kai stretched out his hand and grabbed her soft hands. Placing her cool hands into his palm, he gently patted her and said, “When we go back, I’ll go and talk to Senior Bing Yun.”

Ji Yao’s tender body trembled and she nervously asked, “Talk to her? What… for?”

Yang Kai lifted his gaze to look at her and answered matter-of-factly, “Of course, it’s about us. I believe Senior Bing Yun won’t be opposed.”

He was not willing to have so many lovers all over the place; however, his mentality had changed a little after the incident with Yu Zhuo. He no longer wanted to be indecisive and instead gained some extra determination.

The blush on Ji Yao’s face immediately faded and she became rather pale instead as she muttered, “Don’t.”

Yang Kai was surprised and asked back, “Don’t?”

She shook her head, “Don’t tell Honoured Master.”

Yang Kai was completely stunned for a moment, then he smiled again, “Do you think Senior Bing Yun is blind? I’m afraid she has seen through your feelings a long time ago. It’s just that if you really continue like this, then you will be the one who suffers. As you know, I still have Su Yan and the others…”

“I know. But, don’t tell the Honoured Master.”

Yang Kai was very curious now and couldn’t help asking, “Why?”

“There’s no why. In any case, you are not allowed to say anything.”

Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Things have already reached this point, so why do we need to hide it? We might as well come clean and be upfront? Won’t that be better?”

Ji Yao, however, kept silent and shook her head repeatedly.

Yang Kai’s heart sank, and he felt a little hurt as he asked, “Is it that you don’t want to be with me…”

“No, that’s not it.”

He continued, “Are you aware that what we are doing right now is considered having an…”

Out of consideration for her pride, he could not bring himself to finish his sentence.

But to his shock, she lowered her head at those words and muttered, “So what if we’re having an affair? Things are fine as they are right now…”

He stared at her in amazement, wishing fervently that he could open her head to see what was going on inside.

Seeing the way he was looking at her, Ji Yao suddenly responded coldly, “If you let anybody know about us, I will shut myself in retreat until I die and never meet with you ever again.”

Shocked, Yang Kai quickly tried to soothe her, “Alright, alright. I won’t say anything.”

Only then did her expression go back to normal. She sat there quietly, lowering her head to stare at his face, her eyes filled with tenderness in the silent room. Yang Kai lay on her supple thighs, his entire body was wrapped in a faint fragrance, feeling all the tiredness he accumulated over the past few days melting away. Both his body and mind were completely relaxed.

Yang Kai did not know how long had passed, but opening his eyes abruptly, he took out a communication artifact from his Space Ring and poured some Divine Sense into it. A moment later, he stood up, “The people from Star Soul Palace are here.”

“Your hair!” Ji Yao shouted.

His hair was currently a dishevelled mess, and if he went out looking like that, everybody would know what he had been up to. Thus, he hurriedly sat down on the edge of the bed. Kneeling behind him, Ji Yao tidied up his hair before pulling him to his feet and straightening out the wrinkles in his clothes with a serious expression, causing Yang Kai to smile and reach out to pull her into a hug.

In response, Ji Yao warily put her hand against his chest and frowned, “Business first.”

Before she could finish speaking though, he leaned down and kissed her, but only briefly. A short while later, the two of them walked out of the palace together and flew towards the mountain valley.

Somewhere in the mountain valley, Wen Zi Shan, Ma Qing, and the other leaders of the Southern Territory had gathered together. Xiao Yu Yang, who had previously gone to meet the Great Emperor, was back too. In addition, there was a burly elderly man who certainly could not be called young despite having a head of black hair and a dense aura surrounding him. There was also a white-haired elderly man with sharp and gleaming eyes. These two were none other than Great Elder Lei Hong and Second Elder Xue Zheng Mao of Star Soul Palace, both of whom were Third-Order Emperors. If they included Xiao Yu Yang, then there were three Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters in Star Soul Palace. It could be seen just how amazing the heritage of a Great Emperor Sect was from this alone.

Silavin: 50 Chapters this week!
This week, we picked up a new novel and I’m cheeky enough to place novels down below to increase viewership. I’m also experimenting with a new business model. Not sure if it’ll work out.

You get 50 chapters, I get to shamelessly promote. One hand washes the other. See? Yang Kai has taught us well. So, in the future, when someone ask why you read this, just say. ‘For life lessons.’

I Am the Fated Villain

Pretty sure many of you have read the manhua. A few guys asked me to pick it up and one even offered a commission.

Well, I took it as an experiment to see what would happen if I uploaded at quite an impressive release rate from the start. Will be in red for this one. It will be 14 chapters a week.

Humanity’s Great Sage

Same author as Martial Peak. MoMo. We have been translating for awhile and it seems to be slowly gaining traction. Like Martial Peak, starts out slow and it is building up quite well.

p.s: Don’t join the Patreon yet. Wait till the start of the month, So Wednesday.

Chapter 3275

This group of people had clearly learned about what happened in Orthodoxy Temple on their way here and at this moment, they were scowling with solemn expressions. When they heard the sound of something slicing through the air, they turned to look in the direction and Wen Zi Shan muttered, “Yang Kai is here.”

It was not Lei Hong and Xue Zheng Mao’s first time meeting Yang Kai as they had met each other before when the latter went to Star Soul Palace to enter the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, but at this moment, they were feeling rather astonished. If Xiao Yu Yang had not told them everything in advance, they would not have believed that Yang Kai had single-handedly resolved the entire Orthodoxy Temple incident.

He was able to gather so many reinforcements in a single day; moreover, he was capable of arranging a Cross-Territory Space Array. A talent like him was simply blinding. Thinking back on it, Lei Hong and Xue Zheng Mao paid no attention to him when he entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda at Star Soul Palace; however, they now had to regard him as an equal.

“Temple Master, Holy Master Ma, Golden Envoy Xiao…” Yang Kai landed and greeted them, one by one. Then, he bowed to Lei Hong and Xue Zheng Mao in greeting.

Lei Hong and Xue Zheng Mao exchanged a glance with each other before they both bowed so low that their backs were almost parallel to the ground, “Elder Yang, you turned the tide and rescued many of our fellow Southern Territory cultivators from a great catastrophe. We of Star Soul Palace are extremely grateful to you.”

Protecting the Southern Territory was Star Soul Palace’s responsibility, but they never imagined that they would be completely oblivious to a conspiracy of this scale going on inside Orthodoxy Temple. Their ignorance resulted in heavy casualties across the Southern Territory and it was a huge blow to the prestige and reputation of Star Soul Palace. If the conspiracy at Orthodoxy Temple had succeeded, however, it wouldn’t just end with Star Soul Palace losing face, it could have shaken the very foundation of the Southern Territory. For that reason, their gratitude at this moment was extremely sincere.

Yang Kai raised his hand to stop them, “Please, you are being too polite. I was only doing what I should have done.”

Sighing, he continued, “It’s a pity that everything happened so suddenly and I couldn’t react swiftly enough, or the Southern Territory would not have suffered such great losses. I am truly ashamed.”

Xue Zheng Mao shook his head in response, “If it wasn’t for Elder Yang, the Southern Territory would have been in far greater trouble. It’s all thanks to you that so many people survived this ordeal.”

Yang Kai smiled modestly, “It’s thanks to some friends I know; I don’t dare take credit for it.”

Xue Zheng Mao and Lei Hong fell silent. They used to look down on Yang Kai in the past. They had not liked him or taken him seriously the last time he visited Star Soul Palace because another Elder of Star Soul Palace, Tan Jun Hao, had died at his hands. Regardless of whether Tan Jun Hao was guilty of committing a crime or not, he was still an Elder of Star Soul Palace and had close ties with both of them. Therefore, Yang Kai’s act of killing Tan Jun Hao was equivalent to insulting Star Soul Palace. Although the Great Emperor had been tolerant and did not hold this act against Yang Kai, Xue Zheng Mao and Lei Hong had been unable to let it go. They had always secretly despised Yang Kai for what he had done. It wasn’t until today that their impression of him changed for the better. He was neither arrogant nor ill-natured despite his astonishing means and strength. It was no wonder he could advance so much faster and farther than his peers.

“Is everyone from Star Soul Palace here?” Yang Kai glanced at a group of people standing not far away. Emperor Realm Masters were abundant among them, at least a hundred in total. With so many Emperor Realm Masters present, it was clear that they did not solely belong to Star Soul Palace and were probably gathered from a number of other Sects as well.

Xue Zheng Mao looked ashamed as he replied, “When we heard the news, we travelled day and night to reach this place as fast as possible while along the way summoning up all those from other Sects we could. Unfortunately, we were still one step too late.” The main reason was that Star Soul Palace was too far away from this place; moreover, the person who went to report the news had also taken several days to arrive at Star Soul Palace which was why they only arrived now.

Upon arrival though, they learned that the matter had been resolved and they had rushed here for nothing. Nevertheless, they couldn’t just return home empty-handed like that. It was true that Orthodoxy Temple’s conspiracy had been foiled, but the incident this time had to be investigated thoroughly.

“Where is the Great Emperor?” Yang Kai asked suspiciously. He saw neither hide nor hair of the Great Emperor anywhere. Logically speaking, such a major event would warrant the Great Emperor making an appearance personally. Yang Kai sent somebody to report to Star Soul Palace in hopes that the Great Emperor himself would show up. As long as Bright Moon Great Emperor came, Lei Gu’s plans would not have stood a chance whatsoever.

As soon as those words left Yang Kai’s mouth though, Wen Zi Shan and Ma Qing also showed doubtful expressions, with the latter asking, “That’s right. Why don’t we see the Great Emperor?”

Xue Zheng Mao replied, “When the Great Emperor heard that everything had been resolved, he immediately returned to Star Soul Palace.”

Everybody felt a little speechless at those words. [If you’re already here, then why didn’t you come and check on the situation? It’s not like this is a trivial matter. Don’t you think you should see it for yourself? But, the Great Emperor actually turned back halfway… How odd of him.]

Even if they thought so, since this was related to the Great Emperor, nobody dared to say anything.

Yang Kai casually asked, “Did Princess Lan Xun not come along?”

Lei Hong answered, “Her Highness is currently in retreat, but thank you for your concern, Elder Yang.”

Yang Kai made a non-committal sound in response.

Xue Zheng Mao added, “Although the Great Emperor did not come, the Great Elder and I will be enough to handle things here now. There are some things we would like to ask you, Brother Yang.”

He quietly changed the way he addressed Yang Kai to ‘Brother Yang’, which showed how much warmer he was towards him now.

Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Elder Xue, please ask anything you want. I will explain to the best of my ability.”

Xue Zheng Mao nodded and said, “We’ve heard the general story from Elder Xiao, but we are clueless about what happened on your end. If you don’t mind telling us, Brother Yang…”

Yang Kai smiled slightly, “Good, it’s like this. During the banquet on the last day of the Martial Gathering, I suddenly received a thought message from Luo Chen of Azure Sun Temple asking me to go somewhere with him…”

He then briefly recounted the story of how he was led outside by Luo Chen without hiding anything, including the fact that he had been ambushed and nearly assassinated.

“In fact, there’s something I want to ask you.” Yang Kai frowned deeply, still unable to shake the lingering sense of fear that remained whenever he recalled the events of that night.

Xue Zheng Mao seemed pensive, “What is it?”

Yang Kai said, “The person who tried to assassinate me that night was far too skilled. I didn’t even notice him when he was standing right behind me. Furthermore, he became even more elusive after I counterattacked. His body dissipated into a cloud of smoke, and he was completely unaffected by brute force. Somebody like that can’t be completely unheard of. I wonder if any of you have any impression of somebody like that in the Southern Territory.

If anything had slipped through the cracks during this incident, it was the assassin that had attacked him. Yang Kai had been severely injured by this person, yet he never even caught a glimpse of that person’s face. He couldn’t even tell if that person was a man or woman. He had truly suffered a great loss this time; however, he was certain that that person was a Third-Order Emperor. Moreover, that person was well versed in the art of assassination. He even suspected that that person was one of those existences who was almost a Great Emperor that Yang Yan mentioned to him.

According to Yang Yan, there were a few old monsters in this world that had reached the limits of their cultivation and could not improve any further. They were stuck at a bottleneck, unable to become Great Emperors due to the limits of the world. Most of these people lived in seclusion or quietly immersed themselves in their cultivation, rarely showing themselves. It would make sense if the person who attacked Yang Kai had been a Master like that. It was just that Yang Kai did not sense any Demon Qi coming from that person. In other words, that person was not acting under the influence of demonification, so why were they colluding with Orthodoxy Temple?

Everybody frowned when they heard those words with Ma Qing being the first to speak up, “Such methods are truly unheard of.”

He turned to look at Wen Zi Shan, “Do you have any ideas?”

Similarly, Wen Zi Shan shook his head slowly.

Xue Zheng Mao on the other hand suggested, “Perhaps… it was not done by someone from the Southern Territory.”

Lei Hong looked shocked and muttered, “You don’t mean…”

Yang Kai looked at them and frowned, “Do you two have some sort of idea?”

Xue Zheng Mao pondered in silence for a long while before he explained, “Such a mysterious and powerful assassination technique cannot be cultivated overnight. As far as I know, there is only one place in this world that can produce someone like that.”

Upon hearing those words, Ma Qing and Wen Zi Shan seemed to think of something too and were dumbfounded as a result, “That’s impossible… isn’t it?”

Likewise, Yang Kai realized what they were suggesting, “Elder Xue, you are talking about the West…”

Xue Zheng Mao immediately raised his hand to stop Yang Kai, “We shouldn’t jump to conclusions without any evidence.”

Yang Kai understood what Xue Zheng Mao was worried about, so he dropped the topic. Nevertheless, it seemed quite possible now that he had been reminded of that place. The assassination techniques used by that person were extraordinary, and most ordinary people were incapable of even possessing such ability.

A cultivator in the Third-Order Emperor Realm who was proficient in assassination; all these signs were pointing to that specific force. But… why would they involve themselves in the affairs of the Southern Territory? Not to mention, they were colluding with the Demons too.

Lei Hong furrowed his brow, “It shouldn’t be them. That place is located in an entirely different Territory. Why would they do this?”

“Let’s leave this matter aside for now. Pay more attention to what you say in the future and don’t let your guard down either. Brother Yang, you were lucky to escape alive. If that person had targeted anyone else with such intent…” Xue Zheng Mao shuddered and did not finish his own sentence.

An enemy hidden in the dark was the most terrifying kind. The person who ambushed Yang Kai had been extremely proficient in the art of assassination, and if the target had been anyone other than Yang Kai, then they would have a hard time falling asleep at night. Be that as it may, the other Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters believed that they could handle it since even Yang Kai managed to escape from that person alive. The only problem was… just because they would be okay did not mean their fellow Sect members would be as lucky. After all, how many Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters were there?

There were simply too few clues. Yang Kai had only fought with that person for a brief moment and couldn’t be sure if they were man or woman, so what clues could they go on?

Next, Yang Kai talked about what happened after the assassination attempt. The others were incredibly amazed upon confirming that he was capable of arranging Cross-Territory Space Arrays. Although they had investigated the Space Array before coming here, a conjecture was not the same as verifying the truth. It was thanks to that Space Array that Yang Kai managed to gather so many reinforcements within a day and save those trapped in Orthodoxy Temple.

The situation Yang Kai described was not that different from what Xiao Yu Yang and the others already knew. The only difference was that they had been unaware of what he personally experienced. When they learned that he had gone to the Southern Swamp with Lei Gu and even managed to set up a trap to kill Lei Gu, they sighed in amazement again.

There were not many Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters in any one place, so most had built up some degree of friendship with each other. Hearing that Lei Gu had been possessed by a Demon Spirit, lost his conscious mind and autonomy, and eventually suffered a tragic end naturally made them feel a bit sad inside.

The next step was to deal with the survivors of the major Sects in the Southern Territory. With time, what happened in this place gradually spread to the entire Southern Territory. The Masters guarding their respective Sects rushed to Orthodoxy Temple upon receiving the news to get a better grasp of the situation and confirm the number of casualties they suffered. For that reason, people were entering and exiting Orthodoxy Temple every day. In less than 10 days, Orthodoxy Temple became peaceful again as those that could leave had left.

The Southern Territory would probably be stuck in a period of recovery for a long time after this incident.

I Am the Fated Villain

Pretty sure many of you have read the manhua. A few guys asked me to pick it up and one even offered a commission.

Well, I took it as an experiment to see what would happen if I uploaded at quite an impressive release rate from the start. Will be in red for this one. It will be 14 chapters a week.

Humanity’s Great Sage

Same author as Martial Peak. MoMo. We have been translating for awhile and it seems to be slowly gaining traction. Like Martial Peak, starts out slow and it is building up quite well.

p.s: Don’t join the Patreon yet. Wait till the start of the month, So Wednesday.